The Sum of Black and White
by KeitaPekoe
Summary: An unusual meeting in the forest has consequences, good and bad, that occur over the span of many years.
1. Winter Light

**Just a few quick notes before beginning:**

**This story is VERY song-inspired, so all the chapters are named after songs and have song lyrics at the beginning and end (I'm calling them the "title track" and the "end credits", for future reference). Some only have one song, others have a couple. Unfortunately, I do not own any of these amazing songs, or any of the Naruto characters, for that matter (although I do own one OC who will be appearing in later chapters).**

**If you haven't already, please go and check out my other fanfic, "A Flame in the Desert". It's still a work-in-progress, but I think it's coming along nicely, and based on the reviews I've received so far (which I really, REALLY appreciate), the readers think so too!**

**So this story (in case you didn't catch it) is called "The Sum of Black and White", and I don't immediately come out with who the two involved in the pairing are in this chapter, although I drop a couple of really obvious hints. So see if you can figure it out :) **

**Also, I try to keep my chapters for A.F.i.t.D. fairly reasonable lengths (they run about 3-4 pages on my word processor), however, the chapters in this story are long...like 5+ Word pages... but I did my best to make them enjoyable, and if it could be broken into more than one chapter, I did it. I know that sometimes I get annoyed with ridiculously long chapters, and now I've gone and done it myself (feels a bit hypocritical) so sorry if you're one of those who hates long chapters! **

**As always, read and review...it's always appreciated! (Plus I get so excited when I get a new review; it means that people are actually reading my story:D) **

**Thanks!**

**-Keita**

**Rated T for now, just to be safe. Rating may or may not change later on.**

**Music: Title Track and End Credits: "Winter Light" by Tim Finn**

_

* * *

_

_**Winter Light**_

_The earth was frozen,_

_Ice upon the water,_

_All at once you saw her_

_There in the winter light._

– "_Winter Light"_

* * *

He had been leaping through the trees, from branch to frozen branch, focusing mainly on not slipping on the sheer icy coating that covered entire trees. His breath was coming forth in quick puffs of steam. It had to be below freezing outside, but he was sweating from the exercise. His lungs were burning from the rapid intake of the frozen air. 

_I should probably stop for a little while_, he thought to himself, preparing to halt on a fairly thick tree branch. Unfortunately, he didn't see the layer of black ice until he was skidding and slipping across it. He lost his balance and went tumbling down to the ground.

* * *

She shivered slightly, but not from the cold. 

_This is nothing compared to what he said,_ she smirked to herself, recalling her father's harsh words of disappointment that he had bestowed upon her just a few hours ago.

As if his berating hadn't been humiliating enough, he'd just _had_ to do it in front of Neji and Hanabi. The sheer embarrassment had been almost too much to bear, and she had composed herself only just enough to make it out of the door with some shred of dignity before breaking into a run. She had gone to the forest, to her favorite spot near a small lake, now frozen solid. She sat at the edge of the motionless water, under an evergreen tree, savoring the fresh smells of pine and ice around her.

It was beginning to get dark; fresh snow was starting to fall. She figured that she should go back to the village before it got too dark to see. She stood, brushing pine needles and snow flakes from her furry parka, and had just turned in the direction of the village when she heard a _THUD!_ followed by a long "Owwwwww…" somewhere on her left.

She quickly turned to try to discern the source of the strange noises, and found herself looking at a large snow bank with a black-clothed leg sticking out of it. Quickly, but cautiously, she dashed over to the unfortunate.

"Hey, are you alright?" she called softly.

She didn't get any response; this frightened her a little. She really didn't want to see a dead person here; it would forever ruin the image of perfection that she had of this place.

"Hello?" she tried again, a little louder, "Are you alright?"

She scrambled up the piled snow and peered down into the crater that impact of the falling body had formed. She saw the form of a young man with long, dark hair lying in a very awkward position.

_I don't think arms are supposed to bend like that…_ she thought to herself, looking over his sprawled out figure.

She didn't want to move him, for fear of doing more harm than good, but she did at least want to assess the damage so that when she went for Tsunade - which she would obviously have to do, now that it was clear that he was indeed injured – she had some idea of what was the matter with him.

His other limbs seemed to be at semi-normal angles, which was a relief to her; she had been kind of grossed out by the abnormal position of the man's evidently-broken arm.

She had finished inspecting his body and was just about to move to his head to check for any bleeding or other external injury, when his eyes suddenly flashed open, causing her to give a short scream and tumble backwards off of the snow bank.

* * *

He groaned as he sat up. His head was pounding and his left arm was shooting with pain. Not to mention that he was pretty certain that the rest of his entire body was one giant bruise. _Funny, and I was just marveling at how __**soft**_ _the snow made everything seem…_

He looked down at the girl who had been looming over him when he woke up; she was now kneeling, covered in powder snow, at the bottom of the snow mound. He almost laughed at how ridiculous she looked, but at that moment, a fresh bout of pain shot up his arm, making him grimace.

"I-I think it's b-broken," the girl on the ground stuttered.

He shook his head, "Nah, it's just dislocated. Lucky…" He sighed and opened his eyes to look at the girl once more. _Pretty eyes_, he thought. "What the hell were you doing anyways?"

She looked petrified. "W-What?"

He sighed in exasperation and swiveled, still holding his injured arm, so that both of his long legs were hanging over the side of the snow bank. "You were hovering over me when I woke up. What were you doing to me before? Picking my pockets?"

"N-No! I-I was just ch-checking on you! I th-thought you m-m-might be dead! Honestly!"

"Okay, okay, relax! Christ! I was _kidding_! Ahhh…" His grin quickly disappeared as he cringed and held his breath for a moment while the pain passed again. He let his breath out in a loud sigh and a cloud of steam when it was over. "Dammit, I've gotta fix this…" he muttered. He turned his eyes to the girl again; she still looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Hey, do you know anything about reducing dislocations?"

"Um…not…really…sorry…" she turned her big pearly eyes to the ground in defeat.

He sighed. "Alright, listen, here's what I need you to do…"

* * *

"Ready?" 

"I-I don't th-think I can d-do this! May-maybe we sh-sh-should just go to the h-hospital?" She couldn't conceal the terror in her voice, and she didn't even try.

He shook his head. "No, we have to do this here. _Now._" He glanced over his shoulder at her and saw that she looked close to fainting. "Hey, I'm the one in excruciating pain here, don't _you _pass out!" She tried to smile, but the nervousness in her face only grew. He sighed, placed one of his large hands over hers where it rested on his injured shoulder and turned to face her. "Look, I know you can do this, okay? Don't worry, you won't hurt me. Just do exactly as I told you and it will be fine, alright? I promise."

She looked into his dark eyes. Those eyes seemed so familiar; she was sure she had seen eyes like them somewhere before, on someone else, but she couldn't recall at that moment. He was so confident, not only in himself, but in her. _Her!_ She didn't even have confidence in herself, and yet this complete stranger, who literally just happened to fall out of the sky, was trusting _her_ to perform this task that could permanently damage his arm for all she knew.

"Okay," she whispered, "Okay, let's do this."

"Alright," he said satisfactorily. "You remember how to do it?"

She nodded.

"Alright, whenever you're ready then." He turned forward once more and grasped the trunk of a thin tree with his good arm to steady himself.

She placed one hand under his bad arm, just below his armpit, and held him firmly in place. She closed the fingers of her other hand around his wrist. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _Confidence…_ Then, without warning, she swiftly and firmly pulled his dislocated arm down at a 45 degree angle, the way he had told her to, putting it back in its normal position.

* * *

He had let out one short yelp when his joint had slid back into its socket, but didn't seem to be in any sort of worse pain. She let out a huge sigh of relief. 

He rotated his arm to make sure it was in properly, he winced a little, but seemed pleased with the outcome. He turned to her with a grin on his handsome face. "There, see? That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

She couldn't help letting a huge smile crack her face, she was so relieved. "I can't believe I actually did it! I was so worried I would mess it up!" She confessed.

"Now why would you think that?" He asked her, still busy rotating his arm in every which direction.

Her ecstatic smile fell. "Because I tend to have a knack for messing things up, just ask my father. He'll tell you what a failure I am." She said glumly.

He stopped his rotating to look at her. She was sitting atop of the snow bank once more, her hands were folded in her lap and her head was hung, eyes down. He let his arm fall to his side as he walked over to stand in front of her. He put the fingers on his good hand under her chin and lifted her face until her eyes met his.

"You're _not_ a failure," he whispered, "I don't know you very well, but you did a really brave thing today, something that not a lot of people would be able to do, or even try to do. But you tried and you succeeded. The last time I checked, success was the opposite of failure, right?"

She nodded, grateful tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Don't ever let _anyone_ tell you that you're a failure or a coward, because you're neither, understand?" he continued, "You've got a good heart and talent; you just need to have some confidence in your abilities. So promise me that you won't let anyone – your father, teachers, whoever – think that you're a failure ever again; promise me that you'll be more confident in yourself and your abilities, and that you'll continue to use them to help people in need. Promise?" He gave her a small smile.

She wrapped her arms around him, tears now flowing freely. He was startled, but he quickly relaxed in her soft, warm embrace.

"I promise," she whispered into his ear, "Thank you so much for believing in me."

He shrugged, grinning, "Yeah, well, you did save my arm, after all. I mean, it could have fallen off or something if you hadn't been here to use your awesome medical skills on it."

She held him at arm's length, looking into his glistening black eyes. He lifted a finger and wiped away a tear that was beginning to freeze on her cheek. They held each other's gaze for a few moments more, then he turned to look at the sky, which was now darkening by the minute.

"Shouldn't you be getting home?" he asked gently.

"Oh crap! They're gonna come looking for me if I don't hurry!" She slid down from her sitting position on the snow bank, right into his arms.

"Whoa! Careful," he laughed, "I don't know if I'd be able to relocate your leg. I don't have amazing medical skills like you."

She blushed slightly and laughed, "Well, I don't know about _amazing_…"

He held up a hand, silencing her. "Nope. They're amazing and I won't be told any different."

She laughed again, "Alright, if that's what you want to believe."

"I don't just believe it, I know it! My perfectly-functioning arm is proof of it." He held out his formerly dislocated arm and rotated it painlessly a perfect 360 degrees. "Now, come on, I'll walk you back to the village."

* * *

He held her hand all the way through the forest. When they had reached the edge of the village, she had continued walking, not noticing that he had stopped and was looking down at the village apprehensively. The tug on her hand had caused her to turn around and notice this. 

"What's wrong?" she asked him, also turning her eyes to watch the villagers moving about: the kids having snowball fights, the adults doing Christmas shopping, for although it was dark, the hour was still fairly early and the streets were lit by numerous lamps.

"Nothing," he replied, "You're okay to go the rest of the way on your own?"

She nodded.

He released her hand, "Alright, then you'd better get going."

She nodded again and turned, starting slowly towards the village. Suddenly she stopped, turned, and quickly dashed back to him. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had her arms around his neck and her lips were on his.

His eyes were wide with surprise, but certainly not unpleasant surprise. As he got over his initial shock, his eyes closed, his lips closed over hers and his arms encircled her waist, pulling her closer to him.

After what seemed like ages, she broke the kiss. "Thank you again," she whispered into his ear, before turning and once more heading to the village. This time, she made it all the way.

He watched her go with a dumb grin on his face. And even after she had disappeared from his sight, he stood and looked down on the happy village. For a second, he wondered why he had left it all; everything seemed so peaceful and perfect there. But his face clouded over as he remembered that looks can be deceiving and that even the most perfect place can feel like a prison.

It was with these dark thoughts that he turned back to the woods and stalked away from the carefree and festive scene below.

* * *

**So what do you think? A little intriguing, maybe? Please review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Decembers

**Okay, not too bad, I got a few positive reviews for chapter 1, so I'm happy :D Much appreciated by the way! Thanks!!!**

**Quick Note: I do realize that Itachi was waaaayyyy out of character in the first chapter (unfortunately, I fell victim to the irresistable fluffiness!), and I know that that probably annoys some people...however, if you can bear seeing him a bit fluffy for a couple more chapters, I promise that he'll be acting more like his usual self later on. So please stay with me on this one! **

**As always, R&R, it's much appreciated!!! Thanks!**

**Music: Title Track and End Credits: "Decembers" by Hawthorne Heights**

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* * *

**_

_**Decembers**_

_Let's try to remember these days back in December_

_Our lives were very different_

_I was lonely when we first met_

_A small upstairs apartment_

_Driving through the darkness to get back home_

_Before they knew you were even gone_

_--"Decembers"_

* * *

She had ignored her father when he chastised her for staying out so long after dark had fallen. She had breezed right past Neji in the hallway, when her usual response to her cousin's presence was to lower her eyes to the ground and stutter some sort of greeting. He looked at her retreating back in confusion.

Hanabi had been furious with her. "Hellooooo? Earth to Hinata! Are you even listening to me? I'm _trying_ to tell you a very important story here! Hinata? Hinata!" The little girl had finally given up and stormed out of her sister's room, presumably to go and find Neji or someone else she could bully into listening to her rants.

All of the young Hyuuga heiress' thoughts were on a certain, dark-featured young man, who was at that moment dealing with his own "family's" reprimands.

* * *

"Where the hell have you been, Uchiha?!"

"Yeah! We weren't allowed to start until you got back, un!"

"I'M HUNGRY!!!!!"

"Tobi, shut up! Itachi is back so you can eat now, un."

"YAY!"

Itachi grumbled something to himself about "living with a bunch of immature idiots", but no one else heard. He plopped down in his seat next to his teammate, Kisame, the "shark man", and began picking at his food.

"Something wrong?" Kisame quietly inquired.

"Hn? Oh, no, nothing," he swallowed a mouthful of the food in front of him, and nearly choked. "Aw, dammit! Who let Tobi do the cooking again?"

"Hey! It was either him or Kakuzu! At least when Tobi cooks, we actually get to eat more than a fucking piece of bread and half a glass of water!" Hidan yelled.

"Food costs money, Hidan!"

Tobi seemed to be near tears. "You…don't…like Tobi's cooking?"

"Not really," Itachi sneered. _Funny how it's so hard to be nice to these morons, but it was so easy to be nice to her._

Tobi sniffed loudly.

"Don't worry Tobi," Sasori said, "_I_ don't like your cooking either."

"WAAAAHHHH!!!"

"Awww, Sasori! Why the hell did you have to say that, un? Now he's gonna cry all over my food, un! Gross!" Deidara had picked up his plate and was holding it as far away from the hysterically sobbing Tobi as he could, which was proving to be difficult, since Tobi was clinging to Deidara's cloak. "Tobi, what tha hell are you doing, un? Get off!"

"WAAAAAHHHH!!! Sasori and Itachi hate Tobi's cooking!!!"

"Well, who cares, un? Hidan said he liked it, right Hidan?"

"The hell I did! I said it was better than letting Kakuzu cook, I never said I _liked_ it!"

"WAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

"Shit! We should have just let Kakuzu do the damn cooking!" Hidan grumbled.

Itachi was getting a migraine. He put his hands over his ears and let his face fall onto the table surface. He was thinking back to the peaceful forest, all blanketed in fresh white snow, not even animals around to make noise. Just her. _Hinata_. With her freezing tears and her sad, sweet face. He remembered how beautiful she had been when she'd smiled. He wished she would smile more often.

He was jolted out of his peaceful reverie by the sound of a chair crashing. Tobi, still clinging to Deidara's cloak, was getting pummeled by the blond's foot.

"Dammit, Tobi! I told you to get off of me, un! I'm not kidding!"

He often wondered how he came to be a part of this group of immature misfits, especially in moments like these, when it was almost unbelievable that they were actually S-class criminals and not preschoolers. He stood up, shoving his chair aside.

"Where are you going?" Kisame asked him through a mouthful of food.

"To my room," he answered monotonously.

He heard Hidan laughing, "Haha! My money's on Girly-Man, Kakuzu, how about you?"

"I don't waste precious money on something as trivial as betting!" The miser replied.

He could almost imagine Hidan rolling his eyes as he replied, "Whatever. Take out the masked idiot, Blondie!"

Once in his room, he didn't even bother with a light, he simply fell face-down on the bed, trying to get rid of his splitting headache before turning his thoughts elsewhere, particularly towards a certain white-eyed girl back in Konoha. He looked out of his window at the softly falling snow and pictured the serene forest once more. How it had sparkled in the setting sun; the way the ice covering the lake looked like mirror glass; the way Hinata's face had lit up when she learned that she had fixed his shoulder; the way his heart had skipped several beats and then worked overtime to catch up when she kissed him…

He sighed, and flipped onto his back to stare up at the cracked ceiling. He wanted to see her again, but it wasn't exactly as though he could just go strolling into the village and knock on her door. Kakashi and the ANBU would be on his ass faster than Kakuzu on a nickel. He would have to figure out some way to see her again.

* * *

"Hinata? Are you alright?"

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a pink-haired kunoichi.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry," she replied.

Sakura looked at the other kunoichi at the table they were sharing in the tea house. Tenten and Ino were also eyeing at Hinata strangely. This made Hinata blush a bit.

"Really, you guys, I'm fine. I've just had a lot on my mind lately," she explained.

Sakura giggled, "Would these thoughts happen to have blond hair, blue eyes and a ridiculous orange outfit?"

This made Hinata go red as a tomato. "No!" she quickly responded, and was about to defend her thoughts against those of the three other girls when she heard the voice of the very person who Sakura and the others believed to be occupying her thoughts.

"HEY! HINATA! SAKURA!" Naruto came charging over to the half-circular booth that the girls were sharing, followed non-too-closely by Sasuke, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji, all seeming slightly embarrassed but not very surprised at the blond boy's behavior.

Sakura and Ino rolled their eyes at Naruto, who slid in the seat next to Hinata, but put on their softest expressions when Sasuke reached the table. Neji managed to take a seat next to Tenten, Chouji and Shikamaru crammed between Neji and Sakura, Sasuke was dragged between Sakura and Ino, and Kiba took a seat across from Hinata, next to Ino. Akamaru popped his head out of Kiba's parka and yipped.

"Kiba!" Ino exclaimed, "I don't think that puppies are allowed in here!"

Akamaru's face fell; Kiba just grinned. "Don't worry, boy, when they're rude to you, it means they like you."

Ino made a face and turned back to competing with Sakura over who could fawn over Sasuke the most.

"So what are you girls up to today?" Kiba asked Hinata.

"Oh, nothing much, Kiba. We were just hanging out and girl-talking, you know, the usual."

Naruto was trying to hail down a waiter, "Hey! Can we get some ramen over here, please?"

Chouji joined in his frantic waving, "And some barbecue too!"

Shikamaru just sighed. _Why the hell did I agree to come here? This is such a drag! I could be out watching the clouds right now…_

Neji and Tenten were having a heated discussion about training exercises that they wanted to try in the coming week; nobody noticed that they had engaged in a secret footsy match under the crowded table while they were talking.

Kiba stretched and nonchalantly put his arm on the top of the booth behind Ino's shoulders; Ino didn't seem to notice, although Hinata could have sworn that she saw the blond give a slight smirk and a lightening-quick glance in Kiba's direction.

Sasuke looked like he was going through hell. He had Sakura talking his ear off on the right, Ino on the left, Naruto across from him, and Chouji a few seats down. Hinata thought that he looked as though he would have given anything to just disappear into thin air. She noticed the way his eyes seemed to almost glaze over, evidence that he wasn't listening to a word that was being said on either side of him. His very dark, familiar eyes…

She was suddenly hit with a thought like a ton of bricks. She had to be sure, but how could she get a closer look, with all these others around and without seeming totally weird and creepy by staring? Hinata looked at Naruto; he was in the grasps of a fierce argument with Kiba about…something. She looked over at Sasuke again, and delicately tapped his foot with hers under the table.

He seemed to snap out of his thoughts, but still wasn't sure what was going on; Hinata tapped him again and he looked at her questioningly this time. She discreetly pointed in the direction of the bathroom. The strange look never left his eyes as she got up, excused herself from the table, and walked over to stand, waiting around the corner.

Sasuke joined her several moments later. "Now what's this about?" he asked.

"I-I need to ask you something," she started, looking up into his eyes.

"What?"

"It's about your br-brother." She continued searching the depths of those dark pools, looking for something similar.

His looked of annoyed confusion was quickly replaced by one of almost pure wrath at the mention of his older brother. "Why the hell do you wanna know anything about Itachi?" he whispered fiercely.

"I, uh, was just wondering…does he have the same eyes as you?"

"You mean the Sharingan eyes? Yeah, he's got them. So?"

She shook her head, "No reason. I was just wondering. I wasn't sure if all the Uchihas had them or not." Even though she knew very well that they did.

"And you decided that now was the time to ask me?" Sasuke had reverted back to his old, bored-with-life-and-everyone-in-it attitude.

Hinata grinned sheepishly and scratched her head, "Yeah, well, I forget every other time I see you."

"Hn."

"That's all." She smiled up at him. He turned and walked back to the table. She stayed behind. _I was wrong; they don't have the same eyes after all. Sasuke's are cold and hard, Itachi's are so kind and warm._ She sighed longingly, wishing she could look into the latter's eyes again.

"HEY! WHERE'D HINATA GO?!"

"To the bathroom, idiot, didn't you hear her excuse herself?"

Hinata smiled to herself. Naruto was a good guy. True, he was loud and obnoxious, but he was one of the most caring and encouraging people she had ever known. Coming from a less-than-outwardly emotional family, she could certainly appreciate the affection that he openly bestowed upon her and his other friends. But somehow, he seemed to fall short of Itachi.

She knew that she should be appalled upon verifying that the man in the woods had indeed been Uchiha Itachi, a wanted S-class criminal, considered to be very dangerous and somewhat mentally unstable, however, she couldn't bring herself to believe that they were even the same person. The Itachi whose name was whispered only among those brave enough to utter it was a cold-hearted killer; the Itachi that she had met that evening in the forest was hardly that. She might have partially believed that he was at least an ungrateful bastard had he just run off after she had helped him replace his dislocated shoulder, but he had stuck around, had offered her words of encouragement and praise, and he had been _genuine_ about it! He had joked with her. He had let her hug and kiss him; he had returned her kiss! There was just no way that _her_ Itachi and the Itachi that was spoken of so fearfully were the same person!

She sighed; _her_ Itachi. It sounded a little strange, but right. Very right. She smiled.

"DO YOU THINK SHE'S OKAY? MAYBE I SHOULD GO AND CHECK ON HER?"

She almost fell over with silent laughter. She did have a place in her heart that was just for Naruto, and she did truly care for him as more than just a friend. However, he wasn't that dark and mysterious Uchiha who had fallen out of the sky right when she had unknowingly needed him.

_Like a fallen angel_, she mused to herself as she walked back to the table where her friends were waiting, _Although I seriously doubt that angels dislocate their limbs when they fall._

* * *

"Where tha hell are you going, un?" Deidara tore his eyes from the television just long enough to take in Itachi's appearance.

"Out. Where the hell does it look like I'm going?" he snarled in reply.

Deidara shrugged, too engrossed in the show to care much. Zetzu and Hidan were also too preoccupied to care. Kisame, Sasori and Kakuzu were nowhere to be seen. Tobi, on the other hand…

"Can Tobi come with you?" he asked eagerly, jumping up from his seat on the sofa next to Deidara.

"Uh, no."

Sniff.

_Oh Christ…_

"Please, Itachi! Tobi is a good boy!"

Before he could even say anything back, Deidara had kicked the masked man halfway across the room. "Dammit Tobi! What tha hell did I say about talking and fidgeting around during the show, un?! I'm missing the best part!"

Before Tobi could recover and begin round two of begging, Itachi slipped out of the main room and down the darkened hallway. He was just about to exit through the door, when a voice stopped him.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Itachi. It would put all of us in a really bad spot if you were to get caught."

Itachi didn't say anything. Just nodded in his teammate's direction, and disappeared through the door into the blizzardy night.

* * *

_You don't have to speak because _

_I can hear your heart beat,_

_Fluttering like butterflies_

_Searching for a drink._

_You don't have to cover up_

_How you feel when you're in love._

_I always know I'm not enough_

_To even make you think._

_--"Decembers"_


	3. Love Like Winter

**Awww! Thanks for the nice reviews people! I love it! But I'm even happier that you all like the story:D**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter! Enjoy it, and let me know your thoughts on it!**

**Music: Title Track: "Love Like Winter" by AFI; End Credits: "Blue and Yellow" by The Used**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Love Like Winter**_

_Warn your warmth to turn away_

_Here it's December everyday_

_Press your lips to the sculpture _

_And surely you'll stay_

_For of sugar and ice_

_I am made._

_--"Love Like Winter"_

* * *

He waited silently on a high tree branch just outside the village gates. The snow fell silently all around him. In his solid black garb, he looked like a blemish on the pure snow. He was waiting for the last lights to be extinguished. When they were, he jumped down and landed lightly on the ground. Glancing around warily, he darted to the first solid wall he could find and pressed his back against it. He let his eyes, now red with his activated Sharingan, roam the empty streets. When he was satisfied that there was no one else about, he sprinted onward, heading towards the enormous Hyuuga mansion.

* * *

She had put out her lamp and crawled into bed almost three hours ago, but she was still wide awake. She had been staring out of her window at the drifting snow, and wondering if he enjoyed watching it as much as she did. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to go back to that day in the forest. The peacefulness of the memory was beginning to lull her to sleep, when she was suddenly startled awake by the soft crunch of snow under feet coming from outside her window. She quietly slipped out of her bed and moved over to the wall next to the window. Prepared to run and scream for her father should there be a robber or worse outside, she slowly peeked around the edge of the glass and looked out onto the balcony that hung off her room. Her gaze was met by a pair of blood-red eyes and she – convinced that she was face-to-face with a demon - let out a piercing scream and stumbled backwards, tripping over the hanging bed sheets, and landing with a loud _THUD!_ on the floor.

"It's okay, it's just me," he whispered.

The look of terror left her face and she quickly stood and hurried over to the window. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I wanted to see you." He replied simply, smiling warmly into her face.

Their breath mingled on opposite sides of the glass as they became lost in each other's gaze. Hinata snapped out of it though, when she heard footsteps rushing towards her room.

"Oh, shit! It's my father! Hide quickly!" She ran to the side of her bed while he disappeared from the window.

A second later, her father came bursting through the door, followed closely by Neji. "What's the matter? What's wrong?" he asked frantically.

"Nothing. I had a nightmare and fell out of bed. I'm sorry for waking you."

Hiashi's eyes scanned the room; Neji didn't look convinced at all.

Hinata knew that she had to think fast if she wanted to avoid a lengthy full-room search, which would, no doubt, include the balcony. She knew that although Itachi had left the balcony, his footprints remained, evidence that _someone_ had been there.

"Thanks for coming to check on me Father, Neji," she nodded to both of them, "I'm really sleepy though, and I'm sure that the both of you have busy days tomorrow, so you can go back to bed. I'll try not to have any more nightmares." She hopped back into her bed and snuggled under the comforter, sighing contentedly and, she hoped, convincingly. Hopefully they didn't hear her heart pounding nervously.

Thankfully, both of the Hyuuga men turned and walked out, closing the door behind them. She listened to their footsteps receding down the hallway, each returning to his room. She waited for a few more minutes after she heard their doors close before she let out a huge breath, kicked the covers off and went to the window once again.

She couldn't see Itachi anywhere, so she opened her window and leaned out, scanning her balcony. "Itachi?" she whispered, her breath forming small steam tendrils in the freezing air.

She was just beginning to think that he had left, when his face appeared, upside down, in front of her own, she gasped, but didn't scream again.

"As I was saying earlier, I wanted to see you again. It's been nearly two weeks, and I missed you." He said simply.

She smiled and replied, "I was missing you too. I'm glad you came. But you should be careful! If my father or cousin caught you…"

"Me?! I should be careful?! If I'm not mistaken, you're the one who nearly got us caught!" He sounded affronted, but he was grinning.

"Well regardless of whose fault it was _this_ time, I'm just warning you for _next _time."

He smirked and rolled his eyes, which were now back to their normal black color. He extended one hand to her. "Come on up here, it's nice out."

"It's snowing and freezing," she replied curtly.

"So put some more clothes and shoes on." He said smartly.

She sighed in feigned exasperation, but a small smile played at her lips, "Alright, fine. Give me a second." She began to tiptoe around her room, picking up a pair of mismatched wooly socks, leggings to wear under her nightgown, her furry parka and her boots. She returned to the window, where Itachi's head was still hanging over the ledge from the roof.

"Ready?"

She nodded and grasped his offered hand. Once she had stepped onto the window sill, he effortlessly lifted her onto the roof next to him. They stood and he led her, still clinging to her hand, to a higher point on the roof. They sat in the snow, flawless except for their tracks, looking out at the village.

After a few minutes, he spoke, "So, you figured out who I am."

She nodded. "It wasn't that hard, especially when I saw your brother. You two really do look alike."

The smile faded from his face. "I wish you wouldn't say that. I try to forget about my family when it's possible." He didn't say it angrily, but she heard the tension in his voice and felt that if anyone else had said that to him, he would have severely injured them.

She turned to stare at him, but he wouldn't meet her gaze, and continued staring out at the quiet village. "I'm sorry," she finally said, "I won't talk about it again."

"Don't be sorry. It's my fault, not yours," he lifted her hand and pressed his lips to it.

She shivered slightly from the chill of the winter night, so he pulled her closer to him, his arm around her protectively. A contented smile formed on her face as they stared at the moonlit rooftops of Konoha.

* * *

It was around three in the morning when they finally decided to leave the roof. He helped her down the sloping rooftop and jumped down onto the balcony first, catching her as she slid down into his waiting arms. Even after her feet were on the ground, he continued to hold her. They held each others' gaze for a little while. Their bangs entwined as their lips met; blue-black and raven. He could taste the frost in her kiss and broke it off a lot sooner than he would have liked to, but he didn't want her to stay out in the cold any longer.

He gave her a small boost and she climbed through her open bedroom window. She turned to face him. "Do you want to come in?"

He seemed unsure at first. He glanced around the snow-covered balcony a little anxiously, then back at her waiting face. Her warm smile seemed to disperse any and all doubts and fears that he might have had, and he nodded, a smile crossing his own features.

She backed up as he gracefully climbed through the window, reminding her of a large, black cat. She sat on the edge of her bed, kicked off her boots, tossed her parka onto her desk chair and shimmied out of her leggings and socks, leaving her clad only in her nightgown once more. He stepped on the heels of his boots, pulling them off, and tensely removed his black cloak. He held it in his hands, unsure of where to set it.

This felt strange to him, being in her house, in her _bedroom,_ no less. Two weeks ago, he would have never thought that he would be back in the Leaf Village, unless on a mission that would inflict some form of damage on it. Now, here he was, in the bedroom of the heiress of one of the richest families in Konoha. But his apprehensiveness was drained when she took his cloak from him and tossed it on top of her parka, placing her hands in his instead.

She turned her face up to his, and he marveled at how bright her pearly eyes were in the darkness. He brushed his hand against the smooth skin of her cheek before cupping it, and leaning in to lightly kiss her. She reached up and wound her arm around his neck, letting her fingers run through his jet-black hair. His hand slid from her cheek to her neck, gently caressing it, while the other moved to her hip.

Her mind was racing with thoughts of everything that she had ever heard about the infamous Uchiha Itachi: "_He's a monster; He murdered his whole clan in cold-blood; He's a killer; He only left his poor brother alive to torment him…"_ She thought, _If they could only see him now, how gentle he can be, they wouldn't say those things; they __**couldn't**_

She wanted to feel more of him. She opened her mouth against his, and ran her tongue over his lips. He needed no further urging to open his own mouth to her and their tongues began to dance. He tightened his hold on her hip, while she pulled him closer to her, if that was possible. She carefully backed up until she felt the edge of her bed against her legs, and when she did, she slowly sat down; he followed her downward movement, bending his knees, moving his hands so that one was on the bed, supporting him, while the other was on her back, holding her close, never breaking the kiss.

She began to inch backwards, giving him room to move onto the bed as well. She laid her head back onto her pillow, gently pulling him down with her. His lithe body was now stretched out beside hers, his mouth still covered hers.

She ran her hand from his wrist to his solid shoulder, then traced a line from his shoulder blade around his ribs and let it rest on his abdominal muscles. She marveled at how strong his body was; how firm the muscles were, and how they relaxed and contracted with every movement of his body.

_His damn shirt is in the way_, she thought, giving herself a good enough reason to slide her hand under the fabric and coax it off of him. Unfortunately, that meant that they had to break their kiss while he pulled the black shirt over his head. Although they were only separated for a few seconds, it felt like an eternity to her, and she almost frantically pulled him down to her again and began assaulting his mouth with a fresh onslaught of passionate kisses.

He kissed her back as fervently as he was kissed. He shuddered with pleasure at the warm contact of her hand on his stomach, his chest, his back. He softly ran his hand back and forth over her stomach, causing pleasurable shivers to overtake her. He grinned against her lips at the favorable reaction that he had caused her.

She kinked one leg up, so that her knee was bent, causing her nightgown to slide down her thigh. He moved his hand from her stomach to her thigh, gently caressing it. She shivered again. He began a stroke at her knee continued up her thigh to where her leg and pelvis connected and up to her smooth belly; he loved how soft and smooth and firm it was. Meanwhile, she was allowing her fingers to admire the various clefts and ridges of his abdominal muscles, all the while keeping her other hand tangled in his silky raven hair.

* * *

They had continued on like that for what seemed like forever, but was actually only about an hour.

He hadn't been sure about going any further than kissing and touching; at only fifteen, she was still very young, and he didn't want her to do anything that she might regret later. But she had been insistent, and it was made apparent that he wasn't strong enough to deny her what she wanted. The fact that he desperately wanted it too had made it much easier to give in. He had been so gentle, not wanting to hurt her. She had only uttered one pained gasp when he entered her; after that, she silenced any sounds that she might have made by biting her bottom lip hard when he wasn't kissing her. At first, he had been a little worried that they might be caught, seeing as how it was getting closer and closer to the morning, and he figured that some of the Hyuugas liked to rise early. But his worries had quickly vanished, leaving only the two of them.

He realized too late that they had forgotten to close the window upon their reentry from the roof, but thought that the steam rising from their heated bodies and created by their mingling breath added an otherworldly element of beauty to the moment. Now, as he held her sleeping form close to him, trying to shield her from the cold, he couldn't help but shiver as the sweat on his body cooled in the biting winter air.

Gently, he brushed a stray lock of blue-black hair from her eyes and lightly kissed her forehead. He thought it strange that they were together; they were so very different.

In fact, her entire being seemed to contrast his; if they had been colors, she would have been white and he would be black. She was the heiress to a great and honorable clan; he had destroyed his clan. She was so innocent and pure and good; his hands were stained with the blood of his family and countless others. She had a bright future ahead of her, and the ability to do anything that she put her mind to; his future was a dark one filled with violence and destruction. They were extreme opposites, and yet fate had seen it fit to throw them together, for better or worse.

_It's the 'worse' that worries me_, he thought. There wasn't too much that could happen to him, minus the fact that if he was ever caught in the village, he would most likely be imprisoned, tortured and then locked away forever, assuming that the males of the Hyuuga clan didn't castrate and then kill him first for tainting their heiress. But _she_ would have to endure worse than he if they were caught. He could just see the women of the village whispering amongst themselves when she walked by in the street; hear the jeering voices of the teenage boys; feel the awkwardness of her friends.

But most of all, he could just picture her father, the anger and disappointment evident in his face, when he tore her apart for the sin she had committed. He could hear him now, calling her awful things like "traitor" and "whore", telling her that she had ruined not only her own name, but the name of her entire clan. He wondered if Hiashi would go so far as to throw his eldest daughter out, expel her from the family.

He shook his head, banishing those thoughts. They wouldn't get caught; he would make sure of it. He could endure suffering, but he would not allow it to fall on her. He unconsciously tightened his hold on her, and nuzzled his face into her hair, savoring the scent of lavender that he discovered there.

* * *

He had left when the first rays of the rising sun had fallen across the floor. He carefully slipped from the bed, dressed, and kissed her softly, not waking her, before climbing out of the window and dashing over the rooftops until there were none left and he had taken to the trees instead. He paused to look back for a moment, watching the sun come up into full view, turning the white snow into flakes of gold, then he turned and retreated with the night's lingering darkness into the forest.

* * *

_And it's all in how you mix the two_

_And it starts just where the light exists_

_It's a feeling that you cannot miss_

_It burns a hole through everyone that feels it_

_--"Blue and Yellow"_


	4. Vermillion

**Merry Christmas everyone!!! I hope that you have a great holiday!!! Here's a little gift from me to all of you!!! Enjoy!!! If you are also a reader for "A Flame in the Desert", there is an update for that as well!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Vermillion, Part II" by Slipknot; End Credits: "Letting the Cables Sleep" by Bush; Others: "Here In Your Arms" by HelloGoodbye, "You Are the One" by Shiny Toy Guns **

_

* * *

_

_**Vermillion**_

_She is everything to me_

_The unrequited dream_

_A song that no one sings_

_The unattainable, _

_She's a myth that I have to believe in_

_All I need to make it real is one more reason_

_--"Vermillion, Pt. 2"_

* * *

"So, anyways, I told her to just be like 'Listen, if you've got feelings for someone else, then you should just tell me now because if you do, I don't wanna waste my time with you'. And she called me back and said that he said… Hey! Hinata! Are you listening? This is the best part of the story!" Sakura almost shouted, while she, Tenten and Ino all stared at Hinata accusingly.

She had been dozing off, sitting up in the booth at the tea house, but her pink-haired friend's shrill voice had promptly awoken her. "Huh? Yeah, I'm listening. Sorry, keep going."

But Sakura didn't continue. She shared concerned looks with the blond and brunette before asking, "Hinata, is everything alright? You've been really out of it lately."

"Have I?" Hinata asked almost dreamily.

"And the only reason we're saying anything is because we're concerned for your well-being," Ino stated.

Tenten nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if you need anything or someone to talk to, we're here for you, alright?"

Hinata smiled. She loved her girlfriends more than anything…well, _almost_ anything.

"I promise, I'm fine. I'm just tired. I've been staying up late doing some training; I wouldn't want Kiba and Shino to get too far ahead of me." She smiled in what she hoped was a convincing manner.

She was grateful that, at the mention of Kiba, Ino changed the subject. "Yeah, I know that Kiba has been making some serious progress in his training. I passed him the other day in the woods, working on some moves with Akamaru, so I decided to stop and watch..."

"Awwww!!!" Tenten interrupted, "Ino loves Kiba and Akamaru!"

"That's not what I said!" Ino snapped defensively.

Tenten and Sakura just laughed.

"Yeah right! I know what it means when you start watching a guy during training!"

"Puppy love! Haha, get it?"

"Hahaha! Good one!"

Ino was blushing furiously, while fervently denying that she had any feelings for Kiba. Hinata just grinned; she knew that Kiba was a good guy, being his teammate and all. She also knew that he had a huge crush on the sassy blond. She thought that they made a really cute couple, and hoped that soon, Ino would just give in to Kiba's charms.

While her friends continued their boisterous teasing, Hinata's mind drifted back to her own secret love. It had been nearly three weeks since the night on the roof, and he had been back to see her almost every night since then. They usually sat on the roof for a few hours if the night was clear, but some of those nights had been too harsh and snowy to go outside, so they had just stayed in her room.

They didn't always make love; sometimes, they were content just to lay wrapped in each other's arms. She cherished the feeling of warmth and safety that came from being next to him, pressed closely to him, feeling his steady breath in her hair.

On several occasions, she had been convinced that they would be caught. Once, Hanabi had almost walked in on them. Luckily, Hinata had been able to play that one off fairly easy.

_"Hinata, I…" Hanabi turned the handle of her sister's bedroom door and began to open it._

_"Hanabi! Get out! I'm changing! God, don't you even knock?!" Hinata screamed._

_The little girl quickly slammed the door closed again, then looked at it with annoyance. "Alright, jeez, sorry. What a bitch…" she mumbled as she walked off._

The next time hadn't been so easy, when Neji, and not Hanabi, had nearly caught them.

_Itachi had been playfully tickling her and nipping at her neck and ear, causing her to giggle. She hadn't heard the footsteps coming down the hallway, and was unaware that they had stopped in front of her closed door._

_"Hinata?" she froze when she heard her cousin's voice on the opposite side of the door; Itachi also froze. "Is everything alright in there?"_

_"Y-yes Neji, everything's f-fine."_

_"Are you sure? I thought I heard someone in there?" he pressed._

_She quickly threw on her nightgown and a robe, and he nimbly jumped out the window, wearing only his pants – which he hadn't even taken the time to button – holding the rest of his clothing in his arms. He stood next to the window, pressed to the side of the house. Once she was sure he was out of sight, she went to the door._

_"Sorry Neji, I just had to find my robe. Anyways, I promise, I'm fine. No one else is in here."_

_Her stern cousin still didn't look convinced, and tried to see over her shoulder into the room without making it obvious. Noticing his roving eyes, Hinata opened the door further to him._

_"If you don't believe me, you can look for yourself." She had no sooner gotten the words out of her mouth then she noticed that Itachi had either dropped or forgotten to grab one of his boots. She inwardly cursed herself for not making sure that everything was normal before opening the door to her cousin._

_Neji stepped in and began to scan the room. Hinata slowly sidestepped until she was standing in front of the enormous black boot. Then she used her foot to gently nudge it under her bed. Another terrifying thought struck her as Neji turned to examine another part of the room: if he activated his Byakuugan, then he would surely be able to pick up Itachi's chakra flow. She prayed silently that he wouldn't. _

_"Well, are you satisfied?" she asked, hoping to sound annoyed and impatient, as if he was just wasting her time._

_He wanted to activate his Byakuugan and do an intense room search, but he also didn't want to seem imposing and untrusting of his cousin. She had never lied to him or given him reason to doubt her before, and although he still wasn't convinced that everything was as it should be, he could find no evidence that said any different._

_He nodded and walked to the door, giving the room one last glance before leaving, Hinata shutting the door behind him._

_She let out her breath in a loud whoosh as she leant against the door. Her heart rate was still elevated as she opened her window, letting Itachi back in. She giggled as he went on about how he nearly froze to death, and how he was going to get hypothermia, and blah blah blah… She had been able to silence his complaints with a warm hug. _

_"Better?" she whispered, looking up at him._

_"Hn, I guess so," he replied, trying hard not to smile._

_"Good," she stood up on her toes to kiss him before releasing him so that he could finish dressing and she could retrieve his boot from under her bed. _

That last incident had been far too close, they both knew. From that point on, he had made sure that he was gone from the village before sunrise, which always left her with a cold feeling, but she would rather have to spend the last hours of dark without him than risk losing him forever, should they be caught. The mere thought of being without him almost made her sick. Not only was he her lover, he was also someone that offered her much-needed encouragement; he was her confidant, and she told him things that she would never tell anybody else, not even her girlfriends. She couldn't imagine ever being whole without him.

"Great, we've lost her again. Hinata? Helloooooo? Anyone home?" Sakura waved her hand in front of Hinata's face, trying to capture her attention.

Hinata jerked out of her trance. "Huh? Oh, sorry, Sakura. I was just distracted. What did you say?"

"Distracted, huh? By what, or _who_, might I ask?" the pink haired kunoichi grinned mischievously.

Hinata, knowing that Sakura was referring to Naruto again, just smiled, a faint blush staining her cheeks.

"Anyways," Ino interjected, "We were trying to decide what to do for your birthday this year, since it's coming up in a week. What do you wanna do? We can go to dinner and then a club, we can do dinner and a movie, we can just stay in and have a ridiculously awesome slumber party…it's up to you!"

Hinata had forgotten that her birthday was coming up. "I hadn't really thought about it," she confessed to the girls, "But as soon as I decide, I'll let you know. I've gotta go, though. I promised Kiba and Shino that I would meet them for some training." She stood and pulled her parka on.

Ino also stood. "Yeah, I've gotta get going too. I, uh, promised to help out in the flower shop today. See you girls."

Once outside the tea house, Ino whispered to Hinata, "Do you think Kiba would mind if I came to watch you guys train?"

Hinata just giggled.

Back in the tea house, Sakura and Tenten were just finishing their drinks when a thought suddenly struck the pink-haired girl.

"Heeeeyyyyy…the flower shop isn't open in February!"

* * *

"Go to hell, you fucking cultist!"

"Fuck off, you faggy artsy cross-dressed freak!"

"Listen, just because I wear my hair up to keep it out of the way, doesn't mean that I'm a cross-dresser, un!"

"No, it's the fact that you let your hair get that long, combined with your feminine looks and your girly obsession with art and shit that makes you a cross-dresser!"

"Do you even know what tha hell a cross-dresser is? Because I'm not dressed like a woman, therefore, I'm not a cross-dresser, un!"

"Well you're still a fucking bitch!"

"Fuck you!"

"Deidara, can Tobi…?"

"Tobi, get tha hell outta here, un! Can't you see I'm busy?!"

"Aw, you're gonna make your boyfriend cry if you keep talking to him like that."

"Shut your fucking mouth, un!"

Hidan just laughed, further infuriating the blond.

This launched them into a fresh onslaught of foul-mouthed insults, while Tobi sat on the step leading into the living room, sobbing. Sasori was curled in a recliner, reading a _Carpenter's Monthly_ magazine with bored eyes; Zetzu was trying to watch a program about the rainforest on television; Kakuzu was nowhere to be seen; Kisame was in the kitchen, brewing tea, and Itachi was sitting with his face down on the kitchen table.

"Why do they never shut up?" he asked no one in particular. But Kisame answered.

"Because Hidan is an asshole and Deidara has a bad temper."

Itachi moaned miserably; he had dark circles forming under his eyes from the last three weeks of staying out all night so that he could visit Hinata. He very rarely slept on those nights; he enjoyed watching her sleep too much.

He yawned and shut his eyes for a second, momentarily blocking out the noise from the other room, and thought of her. He pictured her cuddled up against his bare chest, a tiny smile playing on her lips as she dreamt; he pictured her in the snow when they sat together on the roof, her skin matching the snow, but her hair sharply contrasting it with its darkness, and her eyes the shade of pure ice; he could almost feel the soft brush of her fingertips on his shoulder blade, which she had quickly discovered to be his sensitive spot; he could hear her rhythmic breathing, feel her breath, slow and steady, on his skin, see her chest rise and fall with each breath.

She had found his old ANBU tattoo on his left shoulder earlier that week. He remembered how she had stared at it thoughtfully for several minutes while she traced it with one finger, and how she had nearly driven him over the edge when she had replaced her finger with her tongue, outlining the swirls and twists of the design.

He was startled out of his daydream/doze by Kisame setting a cup of tea in front of him while a simultaneous smash was heard from the living room, followed by verbal assaults from both Hidan and Deidara, and more wailing from Tobi.

He muttered his thanks to his teammate for the tea, which he sipped slowly. He hoped that it would help him sleep later. He planned on seeing Hinata that night, and since he didn't have any missions that day, he had wanted to catch up on some sleep.

Kisame sat down opposite of him, also holding a cup of tea.

_Great,_ Itachi thought, _this means that he wants to 'talk'. As if he doesn't already know what's going on._ He didn't know how Kisame had figured it out so quickly, but what he really didn't get is why the blue-skinned man kept at him, trying to get him to fess up to it himself.

And, sure enough, after taking one sip of the tea, the shark man said, "So, you've seemed overly tired and distracted the last few weeks. You also haven't come home most nights. What's going on?"

Itachi, in no mood for the man's prying, sneered, "What, are you my mother now, Kisame?" He took another swig of tea.

Kisame frowned. "No, but I am your teammate, as in the one who has to go on missions with you. And I know that if those missions fail or aren't completed in a way that's satisfactory to Sir Leader, then we both get it, regardless of whose fault it is. Get my drift?"

"Hn." Itachi drank down the rest of his tea, ignoring the fact that it scalded his throat as it went down. He got up from the table. "Thanks for the tea." He said over his shoulder to his teammate, as he shuffled out of the kitchen and into the hallway, passing the raging mouth-off fight on his way to his room.

Once he was safely behind the door of his bedroom, he, already half-asleep, staggered over to the window and yanked the black velvet curtains across the window, shutting out the daylight, which was intensified since it was reflected off of the snow. On the way back to his bed, he managed to get out of his pants without tripping and peeled off his shirt, so that he was clad only in his boxers and black beater. Even though it was the middle of winter, he hated being too hot when he slept.

_Unless it's with her_, he thought, grinning as he pulled the covers up to his chin and rolled over onto his side.

He quickly fell into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of blizzards and his dark-haired beauty.

* * *

"Birthday, huh?"

She nodded, looking into his eyes, glistening black in the darkness. "My sixteenth."

They were lying together, naked, in her bed, the darkness hugging them tightly, the snow falling gently outside.

He grinned and rubbed his palm against his forehead. "God, I keep forgetting how young you are."

She poked him playfully in the side, "Hey, I'm not _that_ young! And how old are you anyways? Seventeen?"

He chuckled softly. "I think you know very well that I'm older than seventeen."

"Duh. But seriously, how old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"Wow, you're old," she said, pretending to be serious.

"What?! I'm not _that _old, alright?"

She giggled, "Okay, whatever!"

He sat up on his elbows and looked over at her. "Oh, you think it's funny, huh?" He pounced on her, holding her wrists above her head and biting mischievously at her neck.

She struggled to suppress her laughter, which was difficult to do, considering that she couldn't use her hand to cover her mouth. He finally stopped his nipping to kiss her deeply on the mouth. As soon as he released her wrists in favor of running his hands over her silken body, she wrapped one arm around his neck and used the fingers of her other hand to gently stroke him in his sensitive spot right on his shoulder blade. She smiled when she felt him shudder with pleasure.

Their kiss became more and more heated as he inserted his tongue in her mouth, where she greeted it with her own. He allowed one hand to roam over her ivory body; from her inner thigh up over her abdomen and finally settling on her breast.

She hooked one leg over his pelvis and used her heel to urge him into her again. She was now accustomed to having him in her, and it no longer pained her, just gave her the utmost pleasure. She held him tightly as he thrust in and out of her, breathing fast and hard, but never allowing herself to utter a sound. She arched her back and permitted herself one very soft moan when she climaxed, while he simply buried his face in her hair that was spread on the pillow under her head.

They panted in unison, their bodies still connected. He turned his face and slowly and softly kissed her forehead, then her cheek, then finally her lips. She hugged him close to her, and he returned the embrace, winding his hands around her waist and holding her against him. For the fifth time that week, he slowly drifted off in a light sleep to the smell of lavender.

* * *

"So, have you figured out what you wanna do for your birthday yet?" Ino asked her as the girls sat with their teas in "their" semi-circular booth in the tea house once again.

She nodded. "I think that I really just want to have a party at my house. We can invite all the guys and then you girls can all just spend the night."

Tenten nodded approvingly. "Sounds like fun to me!"

Sakura, sipping her tea, gave Hinata a supporting thumbs-up.

"Alright, should we do a guest list then?" Ino, apparently always prepared, whipped a pen and small pad of paper out of her purse. She clicked the pen into life and wrote down the names of the four kunoichi. "Who else?"

"Well, there's Kiba and Shino, and Neji, obviously," Hinata stated, taking a drink of her tea.

Ino nodded, grinning as she jotted down Kiba's name.

"And Lee and Shikamaru and Chouji," Tenten added.

"And don't forget Sasuke!" Sakura threw in. "And, of course, Naruto…"

Hinata blushed slightly, and Sakura giggled.

"Alright, anyone else?" Ino asked.

Hinata shrugged and was about to take another sip of her tea, when a strange feeling washed over her. She paused, holding her cup in midair, as she grimaced.

"Hey, you alright?" Tenten asked, noticing her friend's sudden change in stance.

Hinata blinked and set her teacup down on the table. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just felt funny for a moment."

Tenten didn't take her eyes from the Hyuuga heiress, while Ino and Sakura lifted their eyes to her as well.

"You sure?" Sakura asked, concern lacing her voice, "You don't look so good."

Ino nodded her blond head in agreement. "Yeah, maybe you should go home and rest up a bit. After all," she grinned, trying to lighten the suddenly sober mood, "You need to be in your best form this weekend! Come on, we'll walk you home."

The girls had made sure that Hinata made it inside and into her room alright. Tenten went in search of Neji, supposedly to tell him that Hinata was sick and not to disturb her, although Ino and Sakura knew that she was also going so that she could do a little flirting with the pale-eyed Hyuuga genius.

Once they left, Hinata was just about to fall asleep when the overwhelming urge to vomit forced her into the bathroom. After about ten minutes and feeling as though if she threw up anymore, her stomach would be turned inside out, she tried to stand. But her legs were so shaky that she resorted to crawling back to her bed, where she slipped under the covers. She felt a sweat break out on her forehead, but she was cold. She shuddered, unsure of whether she should pull another blanket over her, or kick off the ones that covered her now. She fiercely wished that Itachi was there to look after her; to stroke her head until she fell asleep, to warm her body with his, to whisper words of comfort in her ear.

It was after three days of being sick that she finally had some idea of what was wrong with her, and she thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't asked her parents to go to the hospital.

* * *

He had been gone on a mission to the Land of Mist for the past three days. He had returned even more tired and sluggish than when he had left, but that didn't stop him from heading to Konoha after catching a few hours of sleep in his blackened room.

He gently tapped at the glass of her window with his fingertips. She opened her pearly eyes and slowly sat up, and walked to the window, opening it for him.

He shook the snow from his cloak, while she took a seat on the edge of her bed, watching him with distracted eyes. When he noticed this, he walked over and knelt down in front of her.

"What's the matter?" he asked, his voice dripping of concern and worry.

"I have something to tell you," she began, "I-I…" her voice cracked, and her big, beautiful eyes began to fill with tears.

He quickly gathered her into a warm hug; she pressed her face into his shoulder, clutching the dark fabric of his shirt in her fist.

He gently shushed her. "Don't cry," he whispered, "It can't be that bad. Now tell me what's wrong."

She reluctantly pulled away so that she could look into his deep, dark eyes. He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. She sniffed, and tried again. "I…think t-that I'm…_pregnant_." She lost it again when his face dropped, falling into a fresh bout of quieted sobs.

In a mechanical movement, he pulled her against him once more; his mind was racing. What was he going to do? More importantly, what was _she_ going to do? If anyone in the village found out that she was pregnant with the child of an S-class criminal, a murderer, what would they do to her? To the child?

His mind snapped back to the present when she began to cry harder, shaking with the force of her sobs. Her pitiful cries nearly broke his heart. It was at that moment that he made up his mind that no matter what it cost _him_ – his freedom, his very life – he would protect his lover and his child.

* * *

_You in the dark_

_You in the pain_

_You on the run_

_Living a hell_

_Living your ghost_

_Living your end_

_Never seem to get in the place that I belong_

_Don't wanna lose the time, lose the time to come_

_--"Letting the Cables Sleep"_

* * *

**Happy Holidays!!! Will be updating soon!!!**


	5. Tonight and the Rest of My Life

**A few notes before beginning:**

**First of all, thank you so, so much to everyone who has been reviewing this story!!! It really means a lot to me and inspires me to keep going, so THANKS!!!! **

**Secondly, I would like to thank for providing me with the details to make this as realisitic as possible!**

**Finally, this is just a friendly warning...this chapter is LOOOOOOOONNNNG!!!! Like, really, really long! It is by far the longest chapter that I have written for either of my 2 stories, so be prepared to spend a long time in front of your screen! I'm sorry it's so long...(sigh)**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter! I got some reviews with speculations about what would happen...here's the answer!**

**As always, R&R!!! Thanks!!!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Tonight and the Rest of My Life" by Nina Gordon; End Credits: "Forever Yours" by Nightwish; Other: "Endlessly" by Muse, "Hold On" by Korn **

_

* * *

_

_**Tonight and the Rest of My Life**_

_Down to the earth I fell with dripping wings_

_Heavy things won't fly_

_And the sky might catch on fire and burn the axis of the world_

_That's why I prefer a sunless sky to the glittering and stinging in my eyes_

_--"Tonight and the Rest of My Life"_

* * *

He had held her tightly all night while she had cried. She finally drifted off for a little while, still clutching his shirt in a vice-like grip. His thoughts were running a mile-a-minute through his head. He knew that she most likely wouldn't be found out for at least three months, but after that her pregnancy would start to show and he had no idea how to hide that. Especially since in three months, the weather would be warming up and the cover of baggy, winter clothing would become less and less available.

She whimpered in her sleep, and he was jolted out of his thoughts. He looked down into her sleeping face, which now bore an almost sad look, and his heart went out to her. He loved her so much and he didn't want her to suffer. He wished so badly that he could just take her away with him and they could live somewhere, happily raising their child, together. A dark cloud passed over his features as he remembered that this wish was one that would never come true, as he was a wanted man not only in Konoha, but in every other village in the land. He knew that a person could try to outrun their past, but that it always caught up to them in the end, no matter how far they had gone to escape it.

He brought his thoughts back to reality; he had to figure something out. But then his mind began to wander again. He wondered if he would have a son or a daughter; if the child would look more like himself or its mother; what would they name it; when would it be born? He did some mental calculating and figured that since Hinata had conceived in the very beginning of February, they could expect the kid to come around the end of October or beginning of November.

She had refused to relinquish her hold on him when he had attempted to get up to leave at his usual time before daybreak, and he had been so reluctant to leave her that he had stayed until the sun's first rays had come filtering through the window.

She had sat up and watched him silently while he searched for his boots and his cloak. Before leaving, he went to her and stroked her cheek with his roughened fingertips. He then softly kissed her lips and looked deep into her eyes, still misty with tears.

"I don't want you to worry," he told her. "I'll figure something out. I promise that I'll take care of you…_both_ of you." He added, moving his free hand to caress her stomach, where he now knew that his child was growing.

Silent tears began to spill down her cheeks as she nodded and leaned in so that her forehead touched his. "I trust you," she whispered.

"And I won't let you down," he replied, lifting his face so that he could plant a kiss on her forehead.

By that time, he really had to be going; the sun had now almost completely risen, and that meant that not only would the Hyuuga residence be awakening, but the rest of the village as well. He was never completely safe until he was back in the forest, among the trees. He kissed her one last time before jumping out of the window and stealthily racing towards the tree line. The sun hadn't yet completely penetrated the darkness of the forest. He stopped only when he was safely concealed behind a line of massive trees. He turned and stared back at the Hyuuga mansion, easily seen among the other, smaller residences of Konoha. It reminded him so much of his own former home, the Uchiha mansion, where he had lived with his family until…that night. He shook his head to clear it of the memories that still haunted him to this day. Those houses were deceiving, as were the families who did, or had, lived in them. He knew that Hinata was nothing more than a prisoner locked away in a luxurious cell, and she had gone against her jailers. If she were to be caught, she would be punished so severely.

_They won't find out, and if they do, I will kill anyone who tries to harm her._

He knew that he would too. He knew that others would know that he was sincere in his threat. That was the one good thing about being a wanted murderer, if you warned that you were going to kill someone, people took you seriously.

_We wouldn't even __**be**__ in this situation if I wasn't a wanted murderer,_ he thought snidely to himself as he ran swiftly through the forest, heading back to the Akatsuki lair.

* * *

She had that day to decide whether or not she was still going to hold her birthday party. It was planned for the next day, and if she was going to cancel, she needed to make up her mind to do so and let everyone know. Her morning sickness was still making her nauseous, but she had stopped breaking out into cold sweats and shivering uncontrollably and vomiting every ten minutes, so she reasoned that she would be well enough to have the party if she wanted to, which she _did_. She also thought that it would be the best thing as far as keeping up the appearance that all was well and normal with her.

"Everything's normal. It's not like I'm pregnant with the offspring of one of the most sought-after murderers in the world or anything. After all, I'm having my birthday party, aren't I?" she questioned her reflection in her bathroom mirror. Her own worn and hopeless face stared back at her, causing her to groan. "This is gonna suck."

She stepped into the shower and, after having scrubbed herself with her favorite lavender soap and letting the warm water course over her for some time after that, felt more refreshed and a little bit better.

She combed her hair and got dressed, then walked downstairs for breakfast. She found Neji and Hanabi at the table, Neji eating a carefully balanced breakfast of eggs, fruit and whole grain toast, Hanabi just eating her sugary marshmallowy cereal. She quickly fixed herself a bagel and poured a glass of orange juice before joining her sister and cousin.

"So, are you still having your party tomorrow night?" Neji asked, taking a sip of his tomato juice.

Hinata nodded as she spread peanut butter on her bagel. "Yeah, you're gonna be here, right?"

"Yeah, of course. So, who else is coming?" he asked casually.

Hinata, knowing that he was just making sure that his female teammate was coming for sure, decided to tease him a little. "Well, let's see…there's me and you, of course, and then Kiba and Shino, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto, and Ino and Shikamaru and Chouji, annnnnndddd Lee said he would come…and, hm, is that it? Oh! Tenten is coming too. How silly of me to almost forget her!"

She could have laughed herself silly at Neji's expression of near panic when Tenten's name hadn't been mentioned as one of the first. Hanabi actually did bust out laughing, nearly spraying them all with marshmallow bits and milk.

"You are so obviously in love with Tenten!" The young girl practically yelled. "Don't even bother denying it!"

"Denying what?" Neji, ever the perfect example of staying cool under pressure, swallowed a mouthful of eggs before biting into an apple.

"You know what! And I know that you know what too! So does Hinata! We all know that you so have a thing for Tenten! See?! You're turning red! Don't you see him blushing Hinata?!" Hanabi shouted and pointed.

Neji _did_ have a slight blush tainting his cheeks, which surprised Hinata. She imagined that the blush was more from the embarrassment of having Hanabi screaming loudly enough for the entire block to hear that he had a crush on Tenten, than of being accused of said crush.

"Hanabi, shhh!!! Settle down! Leave Neji alone. If you think that he's got a thing for Tenten that's fine, but keep it to yourself, okay?"

The little girl still giggled fiercely. "He so does though; can't you tell?"

Hinata rolled her eyes and looked at her cousin, who nodded his thanks to her for silencing her rambunctious sister. She went back to her bagel and juice, seemingly content, but her insides felt like mush as she thought, _Neji is easy enough to read when it comes to a crush, and he's __**never**__ easy to read! Will I be that obvious about this baby if someone should say something?_ She continued to nibble on her bagel while these frightening thoughts continued through her head.

* * *

He hadn't slept since returning. He hadn't wanted to leave her at all; he just wanted to lay with her in his arms, shielding her from the world, keeping her safe. He sat at the kitchen table alone, the rest of the Akatsuki members were still asleep. He had made himself a cup of coffee, but he hadn't taken a sip of it. He hadn't bothered with the lights either. So he sat, alone in the semi-darkness with a freezing cup of coffee in his hand, staring at the wall opposite of him.

He couldn't believe it. How had this happened? They had always been careful.

_What the hell is going to happen to the kid?_ He wondered. He knew that she couldn't keep it and raise it. Her family and the rest of the village weren't stupid, unfortunately. They would eventually find out that he was the father of the child. And then what? Would they cast the child out? Would they cast Hinata out?

_He_ couldn't take the baby. He was a criminal for Christ's sake! A wanted, S-class criminal! He wasn't exactly the ideal dad. And what was he supposed to do with the kid when he had missions to go on? He couldn't tote it along. He smirked as he imagined himself and Kisame, on some perilous mission. Kisame with his Samehada on his back, and himself with a diaper bag and the kid lashed to his chest in one of those strap-on thingies. He couldn't leave it behind; Zetzu would probably eat it! Or worse: Hidan would sacrifice it to his god, Sasori would turn it into a puppet, Kakuzu would hold it for ransom, Deidara would do its hair, or Tobi would drop it on its head.

_Why, Kami, __**why**__ couldn't I have joined a group of semi-normal criminals? Why am I stuck with these freaks?_ He supposed that it was a light punishment considering what he had done to his own family.

He recalled her face to his mind; how broken she'd seemed when she'd told him. Did she think he'd be angry? Did she think he would abandon her; leave her for the wolves? He could understand why he might not be viewed as the most trustworthy and reliable person, but he thought she knew him better than that. He _loved_ her, he truly did. He would do anything for her.

_Right now, she's the most important thing to worry about. We've got nine months to figure out what to do with the kid, but only three to figure out how she's going to hide this._

He was still sitting contemplatively at the table when the rest of the Akatsuki began filtering in one-by-one. He ignored them, lost in his own dilemma. He would think of something; he would take care of her.

* * *

The girls agreed: the party was a success. As they sat in a circle in Hinata's room, painting nails and doing hair, they discussed the major events of the evening, most of which revolved around the game of truth-or-dare that had initiated.

"I can't believe Sasuke backed out!" Sakura exclaimed, keeping her eyes on the lock of long blond hair that she was working on braiding.

Ino snickered. "Yeah, that _was_ pretty lame. Too bad, Kiba is actually a pretty good kisser."

It was Sakura's turn to snicker as she cleverly replied, "Well, I would rather go un-kissed than have dog breath!"

Ino tried to turn to glare evilly at her best friend, but was hindered by the pink-haired girl's hold on her own hair. So she resorted to crossing her arms in front of her and pouting. "Not funny," she muttered.

"It was a little funny," Tenten chipped in, concentrating on the foot that was resting on her thigh as she coated the toenails in a layer of dark purple paint.

Hinata nodded in agreement, her own attention on Tenten's toenails, which she was painting bright red.

"So, Tenten, is Neji a good kisser?" Ino asked the brunette, while absently flipping through a magazine.

Tenten turned a shade of red that could have rivaled that of the polish on her toes. "Oh, uh, yeah, I mean, I guess so…it wasn't _bad_."

Ino and Sakura both giggled fiercely. Hinata just smiled at the chocolate-eyed girl as she gazed, mortified, at her.

"And how about you, birthday girl? How was _your_ kiss?"

Hinata's face flushed to match Tenten's.

"Uh…it, well…um…I…"

Her stammering caused the blond and the cherry-head to cease their current activities as they both fell over in fits of laughter.

Hinata reflected on her kiss with Naruto as she waited for her friends to regain their composure. It hadn't been bad; in fact, it had been rather good. But it was different from Itachi's kiss. Not bad-different, simply different. Which she supposed to be normal, considering that they were different people after all. Naruto's kiss had withheld nothing; it was like he was pouring all of his love and feeling into it at once. She wondered if he was only good for that one kiss, since there had been so much emotion in it. _If he can kiss like that every time, then that __**would**__ be something,_ she thought.

When Itachi kissed her, especially those first few times, she sensed that he was hesitant, unsure. It was as if he was afraid to allow all of his feelings to surface at once. She thought it oddly funny that he was afraid of her, when he was the wanted murderer. She smiled inwardly to herself as she put the finishing touches on Tenten's toenails.

By this time, Sakura and Ino were coherent enough to return to hair-braiding, magazine-flipping and chatting nonstop.

"Before we totally change the subject, how was _your_ kiss with Lee, Billboard Brow?" Ino said slyly to the girl behind her.

All the girls burst out into roars of laughter, save for Sakura, who looked ready to bash the blond head in front of her.

* * *

Three months went by quicker than she expected them to. As each day passed, she became more and more conscious of her ever-so-slightly growing belly. It was now early May, and the weather was getting progressively warmer. She had held on to her furry and tummy-concealing parka as long as she possibly could without making it seem obvious that she was deliberately trying to hide something. So when the weather finally broke and it was time to put the parka away for good until next winter, she wore baggy hooded sweatshirts around instead. This would probably work for about another week, and then she would have to resort to something else. All this plotting hurt her head.

True to his word, Itachi had been there as often as he could be, offering his help with whatever he could, which wasn't very much at this point. But still, it was nice to know that he cared.

She checked out her reflection in the full length mirror on the inside of her closet door as she modeled a cobalt-blue long-sleeved tee with an empire waist, which left the rest of the shirt to hang loosely around her mid-section. She wasn't very big; in all actuality, she probably _felt_ bigger than she really was. It was a bit chilly out today – the sun was covered by a blanket of thick, dark rain clouds – so she decided to add a light sweater to her ensemble. She was only too happy to do so, pulling the cream-colored button-up garment onto her shoulders.

She was meeting the girls at the tea house…_again_. Their meetings there had become a sort of weekly thing. They all loved the atmosphere and the menu, so they decided to meet there at least once a week to share stories and gossip, and also just to ensure that they saw one another at least once during their busy week.

She was greeted by a blast of fresh spring air that smelled of the impending rainstorm. She smiled as it tore painlessly at her hair and clothing, as though it wanted to sweep her up and whisk her away to some distant land.

_If only,_ she silently wished as she bowed her head against the wind and made her way to the tea house.

* * *

He put his hand on the bump in her stomach, looking at it with curiosity and wonder.

"You might not be able to feel it, but I can," she said, speaking of the tiny little kicks she could feel from her child, "It might still be too small to kick hard enough to feel it from the outside. But it won't be much longer."

She had been reading, secretly of course, every pregnancy book she could get her hands on. She had even gone so far as to read from a biology textbook; anything to just help her better understand what was happening to her and to her baby at a given time.

She knew that she was roughly halfway through her pregnancy now, at five months. She also knew that her baby's heart and legs were growing stronger and that its senses were becoming more developed.

"Alright, you wanna feel something really cool?" she asked him.

He nodded eagerly.

She took his hand and placed it on her heart so that he could feel its steady rhythm. She took his other hand and placed it in a specific location on her belly.

He stayed still for a moment, just feeling. He looked up at her with a grin, "I can feel its heartbeat."

She smiled and nodded. "Isn't it amazing?"

He leaned in and kissed her before turning his attention back to their unborn child. She smiled to herself as she thought, _He'll make a wonderful father_. This thought, however, caused her to frown slightly after it had run through her head. They still hadn't decided what would be done with the baby once it was born. Time was running out, with only about four months left to figure something out.

* * *

This was it. She had a week-and-a-half left until her approximated due date. She thanked Kami that she hadn't grown very big at all; unlike some of the unfortunate house-sized pregnant women she had seen in her books, she had been able to conceal her pregnancy fairly well underneath light, loose, flowy tops all summer.

She knew that she should stay indoors and rest, but the weather was so beautiful outside. She absolutely loved October; the changing colors of the trees, the crisp, spicy-smelling air, all of it. It was cool enough to wear a loose-fitting sweater and she grabbed her jacket on the way out, just in case she was out when it started to get dark.

She wanted to go to the woods, to her spot, the spot where she had first met him, back when everything was all crystal and powder. She stepped outside, inhaling deeply; she felt the baby jump inside her and she smiled down at her belly.

"What's wrong little one? Are you cold?" She put her jacket on, even though she felt perfectly fine.

She walked to the outskirts of the village and into the forest beyond. A feeling of calm washed over her as she neared the lake; it always did, that was part of the reason she loved it there so much. No matter how stressed out or worried she was, this place allowed her to just forget everything that was causing her grief and relax. She had come here a lot during the summer, even going so far as to sleep out on the forest floor, but only when Itachi was there to sleep with her.

She loved it when they spent nights there. They would lie on their backs and gaze up at the stars on clear nights, and he didn't have to worry about sneaking out of her house and the village in the morning. She would fall asleep to the sound of the crickets chirping and the soft fluttering of moth wings.

She took off her shoes and let her feet dangle in the water, giggling when a little fish swam up to nibble on her toe. Leaning back on her hands, she turned her large, pearly eyes to the sky where a few fluffy clouds were floating by lazily.

She had discovered a new appreciation for clouds in the past few months, and understood why Shikamaru loved to watch them so much. They were extremely relaxing, almost to the point of being therapeutic. She allowed her eyelids to droop a little as she fell into a sort of daze. She smiled again when she felt her baby lightly kick, and she lifted her sweater up a little.

"You can't see the clouds?" she laughed quietly to herself, knowing that lifting her sweater wouldn't help the baby see the sky any better, but she couldn't keep from doing it anyways. She then began to hum a lullaby, which was very effective, as it caused her to slowly drift off into a light sleep.

* * *

"You want us to go _where_?" he asked the hologram projection.

"To Konoha, Uchiha, is that a problem for you?" replied the dark form that was being projected.

"I…I just don't see why we have to go now." He replied.

Sir Leader sighed, clearly annoyed. "And I don't know when you decided that it was alright for you to question my orders."

He dropped his eyes to the floor and said nothing more. The other Akatsuki members looked at him strangely; Itachi was never one to question Sir Leader.

"So then you're all clear on what it is you're to do?" the spiky-haired man asked his band of criminals.

"Loot, pillage, raid…the whole sha-bang," Hidan replied casually, glancing at his reflection in the giant, three-bladed scythe that he held in his hand.

"You can do that _after_ you've achieved the main objective of the mission," Sir Leader said.

_I've gotta get her out of there before things get too intense,_ he thought, _I'll take her to the woods; she should be alright there._

Apparently, they had been dismissed, because he found himself filing after the retreating Akatsuki.

* * *

She awoke to the sound of an explosion in the distance. It was dark now, but she could see a great light coming from the direction of the village…and smoke. She scrambled to her feet, horrified look crossing her face as she heard screams in the village. She pulled her jacket tightly across her. She wasn't sure what to do: should she go back to the village and try to help, or should she just stay here, where it seemed relatively safe? After all, what good would she be to anybody? She was due to give birth at practically any second!

Suddenly, a harsh pain in her abdomen caused her to cry out and clutch her stomach. She fell to her knees on the forest floor, the pain nearly bringing her to tears.

_What's happening?_ She wondered frantically. Was something wrong with her baby? Then, the realization dawned on her. _Shit, I think I'm going to have this baby right now, right here, in the forest._

* * *

He had searched the faces around him frantically for her, but had yet to catch a glimpse of her. He headed towards the Hyuuga mansion and watched as the inhabitants filed out: Neji, Hiashi and some of the other men came out ready to fight, while Hanabi, her mother and the other women had run off, presumably to a place of safety. But not her, she didn't come out with the rest of them.

This alarmed him. Where else could she be? He had told her to stay indoors! Why hadn't she listened to him? He scanned the people in the crowds, screaming for missing relatives, or shouting at their enemies in threatening manners. He heard the insane laughter of Hidan as he went to work on the attacking Konoha ninja with his scythe. Not only had all jounin, chunin and able genin come to fight, but the ANBU had been dispatched as well. He saw Deidara throw a clay bomb at a group of three chunin as they tried to rush him.

A sudden thought hit him as he happened to glance up at the forest. _Of course! She must be there! _He knew how much she had relied on the serenity of the trees during her stressful secret pregnancy, and it wouldn't have surprised him if she had wandered up there earlier, only to lose track of the time.

He was about to start towards the tree line when he felt something sharp imbed itself in his shoulder. He turned quickly, ripping the kunai free from his flesh as he did so, and found himself face-to-face with his younger brother. This brought a smirk to his lips.

"A little off on your aim, aren't you? You need some more practice, brother."

"If I had been aiming to kill you, you would already be dead." Sasuke replied coldly.

Itachi chuckled softly at his brother's words. "And you don't want to be a backstabber, is that it?"

"I'm not the coward you are."

It would have been so easy to strike his last living blood relative down right then and there, but he knew that Sasuke wouldn't go down without a fight, and that would take time; time that he didn't have. He had to find Hinata. So he threw the kunai down and it stuck, tip-down in the ground at his brother's feet.

"Well, if you're not going to stab me in the back, then you're going to have to wait until we next meet for a fight. I don't have time for you right now." And with that, he resumed his venture towards the forest.

"YOU DON'T HAVE _TIME_ FOR ME?!" Sasuke yelled after him, "I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YEARS TO FACE YOU IN COMBAT AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO TELL ME THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ME?!"

"Maybe you should try forming some sort of social life," Itachi said venemously over his shoulder as he sprinted off to the woods, leaving his younger brother standing, staring disbelievingly after him.

As soon as he entered the first line of trees, he used his Sharingan to scan the area around him, searching for her chakra flow. He darted through the trees, heading first to the most obvious place: the lake where they had first met. He prayed that she was there and that she was safe. He didn't notice the flash of silver that followed him into the darkened woodland.

* * *

The pain was blinding; she thought she was going to pass out a couple times. But she knew that she had to maintain consciousness so that she could look after the baby when it came. She wanted to cry; she wished so much that her mother was there and Itachi too. Another wave of pain washed over her as another contraction occurred, leaving her gasping in its wake. Through tear-filled eyes, she thought that she could see a pair of blood-red eyes looking down at her.

"Oh, Christ! Are you hurt?" It was Itachi's voice that spoke, and she could have cried with happiness if she hadn't already been crying from pain.

She shook her head at his question, and gasped, "The baby…it's coming now."

Panic appeared on his face. "Right now? Are you serious?" She nodded. "Okay, alright, well that's fine, we…we can do this. I mean, you've read books, right? And I did a little research, s-so we should be fine, right?"

She whimpered as another contraction overtook her. He looked at her helplessly, and did the only thing that he could think to do at that moment: he removed his Akatsuki cloak and his long-sleeved black t-shirt, leaving his upper body clad only in his black beater. He covered her from the waist down with the silky black and red cloak, and simply held the shirt.

He held her hand tightly and muttered encouraging words in her ear with a shaky voice as she panted and cried, bringing their child into the world. With a final push, the baby was completely free, and he quickly snatched it up in his t-shirt, using the sleeves to wipe it clean and wrapping it tightly in the rest of the cloth.

He looked down at the infant in his arms, it was crying, like its mother. She quickly wiped away her tears though and held out her arms for the child. He leaned over and handed the bundle to her.

"A girl," he said, breathlessly, "We have a daughter."

Hinata looked down at her screaming daughter and smiled with relief. "She's beautiful," she whispered, unable to look away from the tiny figure in her arms. She then began to hum the lullaby that she had been singing earlier that day, and the baby quieted. She opened her eyes to look up at her mother, who smiled warmly at her.

Her father, now sitting next to her mother with his arm around her shoulders, gasped upon seeing his daughter's eyes; they were a stunning shade of silver.

Another explosion was heard coming from the village, causing the family to turn their eyes in that direction; Hinata unconsciously gripped the baby tighter to her. They watched as a huge column of smoke ascended in the sky.

The young girl suddenly shoved the baby into her father's arms. "You have to take her," she said.

"What? What are you talking about?" he asked, surprised at her actions.

"You have to take her with you tonight. My family will come looking for me when this is over, and if they see her or you…" She shook her head; he understood. "You should just leave with her now."

"I can't just leave you here like this," he said.

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest up a little bit. By the time it's safe enough to go back to the village, I'll be fine." She insisted. "Just go, before someone sees." Tears had begun building up in her eyes again.

He looked at her, and at his silver-eyed daughter. "At least give her a name," he said, handing the baby back to her mother.

Hinata took the small girl and looked deeply into those pale eyes. After a few minutes of staring, she replied, "Mariko. I think her name should be Mariko."

"Then that's what it is." He said.

"Mariko, my baby girl…" Hinata rocked the baby gently in her arms, humming again; Mariko yawned. Hinata held the bundle up to Itachi again. "Here, now you can have her."

He didn't take his daughter right away; instead, he kneeled in front of his lover and looked into her glossy eyes. "If you want to keep her, then keep her. We'll figure out something to tell your family." He said seriously.

For a moment, the Hyuuga heiress seemed to consider it as she gazed down at her new daughter once again. She smiled briefly, imagining Mariko growing up in the Hyuuga mansion; running through the endless halls, causing all sorts of trouble. But the thoughts were quickly banished when she imagined the look that would be on her father's face every time he set his cold eyes on his granddaughter. She shook her head and offered the baby to her father again, "No, I can't. It's not that I don't want to though, and I want you to make sure that she knows that she was never, _never_ unwanted, okay?"

This time, he accepted his daughter, nodding in response to Hinata's request. Mariko squirmed a little, adjusting to her new handler, but she didn't cry.

Suddenly, a twig snapped nearby, causing both of the new parents to whip around, searching for the source of the sound. Out of the shadows stepped a tall, silver-haired man in an ANBU uniform; his mask was gone, revealing his eyes: one was a sharp blue, while the other was red with the Sharingan.

Hatake Kakashi was blown away by the scene before him: Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, was sitting against a tree, wrapped in an Akatsuki cloak, while Uchiha Itachi kneeled by her side, holding a _baby_.

Itachi's normal reaction to Kakashi's presence would have been to attack; however, he was frozen to the spot. He locked both of his blood-red eyes with Kakashi's blue and red set, and Kakashi saw something cross the Uchiha traitor's face that he had never seen before: _fear_.

The baby in Itachi's arms whimpered and squirmed, but neither parent could move, they were like a pair of deer caught in headlights.

Kakashi knew what he _should_ do: he should capture Uchiha and imprison him, while returning the Hyuuga girl and her baby to their clan and letting Hiashi deal with them as he saw fit. But Kakashi broke rules more often than he followed them, besides, he and Itachi could have been considered friends once, long ago.

"Go," he whispered to the terrified new father, "I'll look after her."

Itachi wanted to run with his baby, but he didn't know if Kakashi was being sincere or not, and he didn't want to just leave Hinata. Confusion joined the fear clouding his face.

"Go on, I promise this isn't a trick. I won't harm _her_," he indicated Hinata, "She's done nothing wrong by legal standards. I'll make sure she gets back okay."

Itachi looked at Hinata for guidance; she nodded. He was about to take off when her hand on his arm stayed him. "Here," she handed him a string of black beads. "For her; for luck and protection." She explained.

He nodded, taking them and grabbing his cloak. He took one step when Kakashi's voice made him pause.

"Don't come back here ever again. I'll be forced to turn you in next time, understand?"

He didn't say anything in response, but Kakashi knew that his words would be heeded.

She watched them go, her lover and her daughter. She watched as the darkness enveloped them, and then broke down in a fit of heavy, sorrow-laden sobs.

Kakashi too watched them disappear, but he diverted his attention to the young girl whose heart was breaking all over the forest floor. He walked over to her and sat down next to her, tentatively putting a friendly arm around her shoulders. His heart went out to the poor girl; she was so kind and gentle, and for this to happen to her just seemed wrong.

"It's alright," he said softly, "I won't tell anyone. Your secret's safe."

She nodded understandingly, and tried to thank him, but her voice was too wracked with sobs to be able to utter any coherent words. So she just cried.

* * *

_Fare thee well, little broken heart_

_Downcast eyes, lifetime loneliness_

_Whatever walks in my heart will walk alone_

_Constant longing for the perfect soul_

_Unwashed scenery forever gone_

_Whatever walks in my heart will walk alone_

_No love left in me_

_No eyes to see the heaven beside me_

_My time is yet to come_

_So I'll be forever yours_

_--"Forever Yours"_

* * *

**Ugh...see what I mean??? _Painfully_ long!!!! Anyways, if you're reading this now, then you've made it through! Congrats! I feel like I should be giving out t-shirts or something for this:P I hope it wasn't too bad! Let me know what you think!!! **


	6. This Lullaby

**Okay, here's the next chapter! I got lots of really good reviews for the last chapter, I'm glad that you all enjoyed it, and I can only hope that you like this one as much! **

**Music: Title Track: "This Lullaby" by Queens of the Stone Age; End Credits: "Ever the Same" by Rob Thomas; Others: "Going In Blind" by P.O.D., "Canon" by Pachelbel, "Here With Me" by Dido**

_**

* * *

**_

_**This Lullaby**_

_Where, where have you been my love?_

_Where, where can you be?_

_It's been so long since the moon has gone_

_And oh what a wreck you made me_

_Are you there over the ocean?_

_Are you there up in the sky?_

_Until the return of my love, this lullaby_

_My hope is on the horizon_

_Every face your eyes I can see_

_I plead and pray though each night and day_

_Our embrace is only a dream_

_And sure as days come from moments_

_Each hour becomes a life's time_

_When she'd left, I'd only begun this lullaby._

_--"This Lullaby"_

* * *

He gently sang the words of the lullaby to the crying baby. Hinata had taught it to him when she had been pregnant. Mariko looked up at him through her tear-filled silver eyes. She sniffed a few times and her bottom lip trembled, indicating that she was still on the verge of a fresh bout of tears.

He kissed her on the side of her dark head and continued to quietly sing to her, rocking her as he paced the dark and empty living room.

He glanced at the cracked clock that was sitting on the mantle over the fireplace; it was now about 5:30 in the morning. He had been awakened by his little daughter's screams over two hours ago.

Like every new parent, he looked awful; he had been almost completely sleep deprived for the last month by Mariko's nightly fits.

She finally stopped whimpering and her eyelids began to close slowly. Itachi sighed with relief and stopped pacing, instead taking a seat in one of the grungy old recliners in the living room. He held his baby close to him as he rocked the chair back and forth gently, reflecting on the past month.

The rest of the Akatsuki hadn't been entirely sure of how to receive the baby into their home. They had arrived back from their mission to Konoha, only to discover that they had gained much more than they thought.

_Sasori, Zetzu and Kakuzu sat idly by while Deidara, Kisame and Tobi tried to poke and prod at the baby and Hidan had screamed his refusals at allowing Mariko to stay. _

_"When we were told that we were allowed to raid and take valuable things, Uchiha, that didn't mean living things! Are you seriously so retarded that you would take a baby?!"_

_"I __**had**__ to take her, she's __**mine**__!"_

_"What the fuck are you talking about?!"_

_"This baby is my daughter!"_

_"Since when do you go around having kids?" Hidan sneered._

"_Well I try not to make it a common practice," Itachi had retorted venomously._

_"Who's her mom, un?" Deidara asked, letting Mariko hold his finger in her tiny fist._

_"That doesn't matter," Itachi rounded on the blond, a shadow clouding his features, "She's not going to be around."_

_"Aw, that's kind of sad," Deidara picked up the silver-eyed baby and gently cradled her._

_"I'm sure __you'll__ make a good substitute mother, Blondie," Hidan snickered, trying to instigate a fight._

_However, the explosion artist wasn't listening; he was too engrossed in the tiny person in his arms. But Mariko did turn her eyes in Hidan's direction and, for a moment, seemed to frown at him. Hidan frowned back._

_Itachi had noticed this brief exchange of glares between his infant daughter and the immortal priest and it made him a bit uneasy. _They already hate each other,_ he thought, _Although, with Hidan, that's not exactly hard to believe.

He wondered what his daughter's relationship with each of the Akatsuki members would be like when she got older.

She seemed to like Deidara, Kisame and Tobi enough; Zetzu, Sasori and Kakuzu tried to avoid her and acted indifferently towards her when they couldn't. Although Sasori seemed to be warming up to the baby a little more. Hidan was the only one who seemed to have a real problem with Mariko, but Itachi could care less. Not only was Hidan's dislike of her completely unfounded, but also he just didn't care what Hidan did or didn't like. If the silver-haired fanatic didn't like his daughter, that was fine, just as long as he didn't try to harm her in any way.

He began to drift off to sleep, as lulled by his daughter's soft breathing as she was by his. He didn't notice the near-silent entrance of the priest - who was shirtless and bloodied from his morning rituals - on his way to the kitchen.

Hidan paused, noticing the father and infant in the recliner. The "big" Uchiha was fast asleep, but the baby had woken and was staring at him with those big silvery eyes. She didn't cry; she made no noise at all, she just stared. He felt a shiver run down his spine. _What a creepy baby,_ he thought, as he turned and continued on to the kitchen, flipping the switch of the coffee maker.

* * *

She had been absolutely miserable for the last month. The simultaneous loss of both her lover and her daughter had been nearly unbearable; she thought that her heart would break into so many pieces that night that it would be beyond repair.

After her their departure from the woods, Hinata had cried and cried endlessly on Kakashi's shoulder. She had wanted to hate him for banishing them, but realized that he could have done much worse and that he was actually doing them a favor. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that he had picked her up bridal style – she was still very weak – and carried her back to the Hyuuga mansion.

Since then, she had been walking around in a kind of daze. She spent most of her time in her room, but when she was forced to go out, she was like a robot or a zombie.

Kurenai had sent her home from training on several occasions, saying that she should go see a doctor; her friends were all worried sick about her and her family was frustrated at not being able to get any real answers about whatever ailed her.

Her girlfriends had been to visit her countless times, trying in vain to get her out of her room, but, nine times out of ten, she refused their offers.

Kiba and Shino visited a couple times, giving updates about training and telling stories about the few small missions that they had been on without her, while Akamaru sat in Hinata's lap.

Neji and Hanabi would come in to sit and talk with her sometimes, although Neji didn't always talk very much and it was difficult to shut Hanabi up.

She appreciated her family and friends' efforts to help her, but she knew that this was a wound that only time would heal, and even then, it would leave her with a terrible scar.

One visitor who did manage to motivate her a little bit was Naruto. She had been sitting by her bedroom window, looking at the snow falling and reminiscing about the nights she spent watching the snow from that same window with Itachi, when she heard a light knock on her door.

"Hinata?" she heard his voice softly call from the hallway.

"Come in," she replied, not taking her eyes from the gently falling flakes.

She heard the door open slowly and close quietly; she heard his footsteps moving across the floor and stop when he had reached her desk chair, which he had taken a seat in.

When she finally turned her pearly eyes to him, she saw that a look of deep concern was on his face. He had replaced his normal energetic demeanor with a more sober and gentle manner.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked her quietly, his crystal blue eyes piercing hers. "I've never seen you like this before, and it's scaring me."

"I can't tell you exactly what's wrong," she replied.

His face fell. "You don't trust me," he stated, turning his eyes to the floor.

"No, it's not that," she said quickly, "It's just that…even if I were to tell you, you wouldn't be able to help me. This is something that I'll work through myself; it may take awhile, but I'll do it eventually."

He looked at her again. "How long will that be? I hate seeing you like this."

It was her turn to look away; how was she supposed to explain to him the pain that she was feeling? How could he understand the losses that she had suffered? She knew he wanted to help her, it was in his nature to protect the ones he loved and do whatever he could to ease their suffering, but he couldn't help this time. There was nothing that he could do to ease the aching in her heart.

"I don't know for sure how long it will be… awhile," she said.

She was startled by the sudden feeling of his warm hand covering hers. She looked up and was caught by his azure gaze again.

"Hinata, I really care about you, and I hate to see you hurting. But I'm willing to trust you when you say that you can handle this on your own. Just know that if you need _anything_, I'm here and I will help you."

She nodded, starting to get a bit choked up; his sincerity reminded her of her first meeting with Itachi in the woods.

She thought that Naruto was standing to leave after that, but instead, he leaned in and kissed her ever-so-softly; it was like the tickling of a feather, she wasn't even sure if it had really happened or if it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.

"Call me if you need me," he smiled warmly at her and then stood and left, leaving Hinata very confused where she sat.

* * *

"Come on, just eat it, un!" Deidara held a spoonful of what looked like nasty green sludge in front of Mariko, now six months old.

She was strapped in her highchair, her mouth clamped shut firmly, looking at her blond "uncle" with shocked eyes, as if saying, _Do you seriously expect me to eat that shit?_

"Come on Mariko, just open the tunnel and let the choo-choo in, un. Ready? Choo-choooooo…" He began to swirl the spoon in towards her mouth. Mariko looked like she might cry.

Just then, Hidan walked in, fresh wounds bleeding freely. He paused to stare. "Are you fucking serious?" He said before opening the fridge and pulling out a carton of fruit punch, which he drank straight out of.

Deidara sighed. "Just don't bleed in that, un. Other people might want to drink out of it, you know." He resumed his task of trying to make the disgusting green blob on the end of the spoon seem appetizing to the baby.

In a desperate attempt to escape death by creamed peas, Mariko reached up to the Jashinist priest imploringly. Her silver eyes locked with his violet ones.

Hidan wiped his mouth on his bare arm, set the juice carton down and walked over to where the blond artist sat in front of the black-haired baby. Without a word, he roughly shoved Deidara aside and lifted Mariko out of her death trap, a.k.a. her highchair.

"Tha hell, un?!" Deidara exclaimed furiously, gaping at the green stain now on his pants.

"She was just gonna throw it up again anyways," Hidan replied matter-of-factly.

Mariko held tightly onto the headband that the immortal wore around his neck, which was the only thing that she could find to grab on to.

Deidara glared evilly at the duo. "Whatever, un. Put on a shirt, will you?"

Hidan just flashed his teeth in a wolfish grin. Mariko still held him tightly, watching Deidara with wary eyes.

"Fine, then **you** feed her, un." The blond thrust the jar of green slime into the priest's hand and angrily stomped out of the kitchen.

Hidan chuckled to himself, then brought the jar of creamed peas to his nose and took a sniff; Mariko winced away from the jar.

"Holy fucking shit! That stuff is _nasty!_ No fucking wonder you didn't wanna eat it! Is this shit even edible?! It should have a warning label!" He began scanning the jar.

Meanwhile, Mariko, who was still hungry, gave a light whimper in Hidan's ear. The silver-haired priest turned his eyes to her. Violet met silver again; his hard gaze met her soft one.

"What?" he asked her irritably.

She gave a small whine again, glancing towards the refrigerator.

"Hungry?" He looked at her and at the jar of "toxic waste" that he held in his other hand. Deciding that it would be unusually cruel to force anything to consume the contents of that jar, he tossed it over his shoulder, not really caring where it landed, and opened the fridge. "What the fuck do you eat anyways, dog food?"

Mariko squirmed in his one-armed hold on her and reached fervently for a bowl of peaches that caught her eye.

Hidan saw her movements and picked up the bowl. "Is this yours?" he inspected the bowl and its contents, then shrugged. "Well, it's not mine, so I don't give a shit if you eat it." He set the baby and the bowl on the floor, where she plunged her hand into the syrupy contents and fished out a sliced peach half, which she began trying to bite and chew with the only two teeth in her mouth.

"Right, well, enjoy." The priest waved at the small child on the floor as he retreated back to his room, leaving her there with only the bowl of peaches.

Mariko watched him leave and then turned her attention back to her food. She looked up when she heard humming and smiled when she saw Kisame walking into the kitchen.

"Mariko! What are you doing? Where's Deidara?" He picked the girl up daintily; peach syrup dripped off of her. "Why are you by yourself?"

Mariko laughed and waved her arms while simultaneously kicking her legs, sending peach juice everywhere, before reaching out for Kisame's sharky face with her sticky hands.

The blue-skinned man held the baby out at arm's length so as to spare his face the annoying stickiness of the peach syrup. He sighed as he looked into her smiling face. "Your dad's gonna have a fit if he sees you like this…let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

Her seventeenth birthday had come and gone. By that time, she had stopped shutting herself in her room and had returned to her training and was seeing her friends again, who all still kept a ridiculously close watch on her.

It had been Naruto's visits and gentle encouragements that had helped her out of her depression. He had stayed by her side constantly for the first few months, and even now, he was never far away. Even after the little kiss in her room, they had maintained a strictly "friends" relationship. However, it had grown into something more over the last month. Each had strong feelings for the other, and although she was sure that she could never love anyone like she had loved Itachi, she couldn't deny that she was feeling something akin to love for the blond boy.

She and her girlfriends had resumed their weekly teahouse meetings – they had been put on hold while Hinata was "out of commission".

She sat with her steaming mug of orange pekoe tea in front of her, listening to Sakura rattle on about how she and Sasuke had finally started dating and how she was sure that they would eventually be married.

Ino looked slightly put-off, but Hinata knew that she was officially with Kiba now and was very happy with him, so she doubted that the blond had any regrets about the choice she made.

Hinata looked at Tenten, who was sipping her peach green tea. She had been seeing a lot of the brunette lately, since she had started openly dating Neji about five months ago. Key word: openly. Not that it was really a big surprise; pretty much everyone in their circle of friends knew that the Hyuuga genius and the weapons mistress had been more than friends for quite some time.

She was happy for her friends and a tad bit envious. Once they were a bit older, they would eventually get married and have families and not have to worry about a child from a forbidden love affair out there somewhere.

It wasn't that she regretted being with Itachi or having Mariko, she only regretted that she wouldn't get to be there to see her baby grow up or to help her become the brilliant and beautiful woman that she knew her daughter would be. That was what broke her heart more than anything.

She had no doubt that Itachi would be a good father to Mariko, but she worried about the surroundings that her daughter would grow up in. She knew that Itachi lived in the hideout with the other Akatsuki members, all of whom were men, and not very good role models at that. All of them had done something terrible enough to earn them the status of S-class criminals, she couldn't imagine that they would be the best influences on her baby's life.

But then again, before she had actually met Uchiha Itachi, she wouldn't have thought that he could be gentle and kind and loving; she wouldn't have thought that he would take responsibility for a child that he had unintentionally helped create. Yet, he had surprised her. And who knew? Maybe this group of vicious killers and wanted criminals would turn out to be very dedicated and caring towards her little girl.

She could only hope so.

* * *

_We would stand in the wind_

_We were free like water_

_Flowing down_

_Under the warmth of the sun_

_Now it's cold and we're scared_

_And we've both been shaken_

_Look at us_

_Man, this doesn't need to be the end_

_-- "Ever the Same"_


	7. What It Is To Burn

**Wow! I posted that last chapter, and after just a few hours (okay, it was more like 6 or 7, but who cares, right? ;P) I had 6 new reviews!!! I'm truly touched, it made me so happy :') Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!! I love you all!!! **

**I don't really have much to say, except that school has (unfortunately) started again, so my updates might not be as frequent as they have been. Sorry! **

**Oh, also, this chapter and the next couple have some big time skips (as in years!), so be careful to pay attention to those!**

**Okay, well enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review it for me when you're finished :D !!! Thanks!!!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "What It Is To Burn" by Finch; End Credits: "Hollow" by Submersed; Others: "Wild Child" by Enya, "The Hardest Part" by Coldplay, "Broken" by Seether, "Dance Floor Anthem" by Good Charlotte**

_**

* * *

**_

_**What It Is To Burn**_

_Like a bad star, I'm falling faster down to her_

_She's the only one who knows, what it is_

_to burn_

_--"What It Is To Burn"_

* * *

She had cried on the day that she married Uzumaki Naruto as she sat alone in her dressing room, waiting for the ceremony to start. She felt like a traitor to Itachi, Mariko, and a part of her own heart. But she also felt that she was making the right choice, for the other part of her heart – the tiny part that didn't belong to Itachi and her daughter – said that it was right.

It was June and she was eighteen. She had agreed to marry him when he had proposed to her two days after her birthday.

Her wedding day was perfect: shining sun, clear skies, flowers everywhere, surrounded by her family and friends. Hanabi was her maid of honor, while Tenten, Sakura and Ino were her bridesmaids. Kiba, Neji and Shikamaru were groomsmen and Sasuke was the best man, despite the rivalry that he and Naruto had shared over the years.

Her father had been reluctant to accept Hinata's engagement to someone outside of the Hyuuga clan, but Hinata had convinced him that not only was that an old-fashioned way of thinking, but that she would marry Naruto or no one. In the end, Hiashi accepted Naruto as his son-in-law and had given his blessing to his daughter.

As they went through the wedding ceremony and said their "I dos", Hinata kept expecting Itachi to jump in out of nowhere and sweep her off her feet to some place where their daughter would be waiting for their return, and they would live happily-ever-after. Of course, this didn't happen; she knew that Itachi had taken Kakashi's threat seriously and he would do nothing that might endanger his freedom now that he was in charge of Mariko.

At the reception, she cheered up quite a bit. The joyful mood of everyone there, combined with the dancing and massive amounts of alcohol helped her out a lot. She managed to push her dark lover and her daughter from her mind for the rest of the evening and turn her focus on her new husband instead.

* * *

Mariko's first birthday party had been…interesting. By that time, the little girl had learned how to walk and say a few words. She wore the lucky beads that her mother had given her on the night she was born around her left wrist; they had had to be looped several times before they were tight enough so that they wouldn't slip off.

Kisame, being by far the best cook in the Akatsuki, had made her a cake, and the entire group had agreed to "celebrate" the baby's birthday, even Hidan.

She received some strange gifts from her "uncles", which included a flying-but-non-explosive clay bird from Diedara, a wooden marionette puppet from Sasori, a miniature and not-dangerous version of Samehada from Kisame, a Venus Flytrap plant from Zetzu, a nickel from Kakuzu (which he considered to be exceedingly generous), a crayon drawing depicting little Mariko holding hands with Tobi under a rainbow from Tobi, an Akatsuki cloud rattle with little bells on it from her father, and nothing from Hidan.

Mariko had laughed and clapped for most of the party. Her odd assortment of gifts delighted her. She succeeded in smashing her face into her cake and getting it in her shiny black hair and all over her clothes.

The Akatsuki members had been peaceable amongst each other while they mingled in the small kitchen, even Hidan. They talked and joked around a little, they held Mariko once she had been cleaned up and played with her. By this time, Hidan was the only one who didn't absolutely adore the silver-eyed baby; she could even bring a smile to Kakuzu's stern face.

When she was gently set on the floor by Sasori, she toddled her way over to the violet-eyed priest, who sat at the far end of the table, not really socializing with the rest. She stopped when she reached the chair that was next to his, looking up at him inquisitively. He noticed her out of the corner of his eye and turned his full gaze on her.

"What do you want?" he asked her quietly.

She smiled up at him and reached out her arms, indicating that she wanted him to pick her up.

"Go ask someone else; Deidara's right there," he pointed to the blond explosion artist, "He'll pick you up."

Her smile faded into a pout as she reached out for him further; he shook his head and looked away.

Her lip trembled and her eyes began to tear up. She gave a small whimper and reached out to him again.

He wasn't able to ignore her further without feeling like a complete asshole – it was her birthday, after all - so he turned to her once more, which made her look at him hopefully, and after a few seconds of staring, he lifted her up onto his lap.

She smiled and threw her little arms around him, nuzzling him like a puppy might.

He stiffened while she did this; he didn't like it at all, but at least the kid hadn't started crying. He was beat from his last mission and the last thing he needed was for his group members to kick the shit out of him for making the baby cry on her birthday.

"Alright, brat, you happy now?" he whispered venomously to Mariko. She sighed contentedly and cuddled up in his arms.

* * *

_Five Years Later_

* * *

She couldn't remember if it had hurt as much six years ago as it did now, but something in the back of her mind said that it had been worse. It had hurt her more then because not only had she gone through the physical pain of delivering a child, but she had endured the emotional pain of losing that child. At least now, she didn't have to worry about the latter.

It was done the right way this time. She was in a hospital bed, not the forest floor; there was proper equipment and there were doctors and nurses to help her; her husband had been there, waiting nervously in the other room with her parents, sister and cousin; her friends had been there too.

She had been a little scared to see her new baby, because she was afraid that the instant she saw the child, her memories of Mariko would disappear and she would lose her forever. The new baby, a boy with golden-blond hair and his father's piercing blue eyes, was so unlike Mariko, with her jet black hair and silver eyes. She wondered if this was good, because then he wouldn't remind her of Mariko, or bad, because it would make her forget her daughter.

They named him Hachi. Naruto had been so proud of his new son, and Hinata had been quite enthralled with him as well, once he was placed in her arms. Her foggy eyes met with her son's crystal blue ones and she vaguely remembered holding her daughter on the night she was born, even if it was just for a little while.

Naruto stood protectively by her bedside as her family members and friends, some now with children of their own as well, came in a few at a time to see the new baby and give their good wishes to the proud parents. He beamed at the compliments that were paid to him on his son's behalf, but instinctively moved slightly closer to his wife and baby when Hiashi entered.

Hiashi walked over to his daughter's bed and held out his arms, indicating that he wished to hold his grandson. Hinata handed Hachi over and waited, nervously wringing her hands, feeling like she was a child again, waiting for his approval, or lack of, regarding some piece of work that had been submitted to his inspection.

The older Hyuuga held the baby out at arm's length so that he could take in the entire tiny form. His eyes seemed to hold nothing but cold contempt upon seeing that the baby didn't have many resemblances to the Hyuuga clan members at all, however, his face broke into a smile – which Hinata had rarely seen occur with her father – and he kissed his grandson's head before handing him back to his mother.

"He's a fine boy, Hinata. You should be very proud; both of you should," Hiashi turned his eyes in Naruto's direction as he said the last bit, and the new father nodded graciously at his father-in-law's praise.

Her other visitors that day included: Neji and Tenten, now married and expecting their firstborn any day; Kiba and Ino and their two children, Suoh and Tama; Shino; Chouji; Shikamaru and his new wife, Temari, from Suna; Kurenai; and Sakura stopped in with her son, Kai, who was in the hospital daycare at the moment while his mother was on duty in the ER and Sasuke, his father, was out on a mission.

Naruto and Hinata had been delighted and touched that so many of their friends and their families came to bid their son welcome into the world.

When the visitors had all finally left, the family had been exhausted. Naruto hadn't wanted to leave Hinata and the baby, but she had insisted that he go home for a little while, at least to shower and get some clean clothes and something decent to eat. He finally agreed, but with reassurances that he would be back as soon as he had cleaned himself up a bit. He kissed Hachi on his fuzzy little head and Hinata softly on the lips, before leaving the room with a huge grin on his face.

Hinata had just laid her baby down in the bassinette when a soft knock was heard at the doorway. She turned to see who it was and froze when her eyes fell on the form of Hatake Kakashi. Without even thinking, she scooped Hachi up in her arms once again and held him tightly to her.

"Hi Hinata, I just dropped by to wish you and Naruto my congratulations," he held out a fluffy teddy bear with a blue bow around its neck.

"Thank you, Kakashi, that was very thoughtful of you."

He moved to set his gift in the pile that had accumulated as a result of the many visitors that had been received that day, then turned to the mother and infant. "Is Naruto around?"

"He went home for a little while to get cleaned up; he hasn't changed his clothes or had a shower for almost two whole days."

"I see. So is this the little one?" He moved over to get a better look at the baby in Hinata's arms.

As he came towards her, she couldn't help but recoil a little bit. She didn't mean to make it obvious, but her motion hadn't gone unnoticed. Kakashi paused.

"Look, I know that we haven't really ever spoken since that night in the woods, and I don't blame you for your behavior now," he began.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi, I didn't mean to be offensive. I just…"

He cut her off. "No, no, you don't have to try to explain. I took something very precious away from you; I need to explain," She sat on the edge of her bed, still cradling her son, while he leaned against the wall. "People make mistakes all the time. You were young and you made a mistake. I know that you would deny that that's what it was, because you love the child that came as a result, but it was a mistake nonetheless. Anyways, good people who make honest mistakes should be given second chances; that's what I was doing. You're a good girl Hinata, you always have been, and by allowing your child's father to take her away I was giving you a second chance at a normal life. And it seems that things have gone much better for you this time: you have a husband who loves you more than anything and who also isn't a wanted criminal, you have a child that you don't have to hide, and you have a future.

"Your daughter has a future also, even if it's not the best, at least she'll be around someone who will love her for who she is. If I had taken Itachi in that night, you would have been found out and your reputation would have been tarnished forever and your daughter would no doubt be living in some home where she would be treated less-than-kindly for the sins that her father has committed. I was trying to spare her that fate. So please don't think that I did what I did to be cruel, because I was actually trying to spare you more pain."

Tears had formed in her eyes. "I know, Kakashi. I know that you did it out of pity and I do appreciate it. But you have to understand that it still hurts, even if I did do things right this time, I can't let go of what happened in the past. I can't just forget them."

"I know it's hard, but you should try. She is his now, and only his. They're not coming back; they belong to your past," he spoke so gently, but his words stabbed at Hinata's heart, "Your future is with this one," he pointed to Hachi, still wrapped up in his mother's arms, "and with Naruto. They are the ones who you need you now."

Hinata nodded her head, the tears in her eyes now dripping, one-by-one, onto her cheeks.

"I know that my words are hurtful to you, but try to understand that it would be a terrible waste for you to dwell on the past, when you have so much to look forward to. I really do want you to be happy Hinata, you deserve it; your family deserves it."

He slowly walked over to gently place his hand on the baby's head and meet the boy's azure gaze for a moment before nodding to Hinata, who was still letting her tears fall silently, and leaving the room.

* * *

Kisame and Itachi had been going over the protocol for their next mission, when a piercing shriek had promptly disrupted their conversation. The two briefly looked at each other, then took off running in the direction of the scream.

Itachi had sent Mariko out to play while he and Kisame worked, but he had told her not to go too far. He cursed himself inwardly for not keeping a better eye on her and prayed that she had only encountered a spider or a non-poisonous snake.

He and the shark-man came to a halt in a small clearing about a quarter of a mile from the main hideout.

"Mariko?!" Itachi called for his daughter, scanning the area frantically.

Kisame had taken Samehada from its place on his back and was holding it ready to fight off any enemies who might be lurking about.

"Mariko?!" His voice was a little more panicked this time.

Suddenly, they heard a twig snap and turned to see the little six-year-old girl walking towards them. There was mud and dirt staining her clothes in various spots; leaves were embedded in her dark hair and there was black war paint in two stripes under her brightly shining silver eyes. She had a dark blue strip of cloth tied around her forehead as a makeshift headband and she was dragging her mini-Samehada that Kisame had given her on her first birthday behind her.

Itachi ran and grabbed Mariko by the shoulders, kneeling in front of her. "Are you okay?" he began to scan her arms and face for any sign of injury.

"Yes," Mariko seemed confused as to why her father was so upset.

"Why were you screaming then?" He brushed one of the strands of hair that fell over her eyes away.

Mariko smiled, "It was my war scream."

"'War scream'?" Kisame asked uncertainly.

Mariko nodded fervently. "Uh-huh. I was playin' hide-and-seek with Tobi and Zeztu and it's not fair 'cause Zetzu is hard to find 'cause he looks like a tree and…"

"Mariko, just tell me what your war scream is," Itachi cut her off before she got too far from her main point.

"Oh, yeah, well, I was hiding in a tree with mini-Same and Hidan walked by, right under me! And he was mean to me yesterday, so I did my war scream and jumped down on him and smacked him with my mini-Same and then ran! I think he fell over! It was pretty funny! Anyways, I can't talk now, Dad, I have to go and hide before anyone finds me! Don't tell them that you saw me, kay?" And with that, Mariko took off, her black hair swinging in its little ponytail at the base of her neck, her mini-Same now strapped to her back the same way that Kisame's real Samehada was to his.

Itachi and Kisame watched her retreating form for a moment, before turning to look at each other and bursting into laughter. They were interrupted by someone loudly crashing through the trees and throwing fiery curses into the air.

"Son of a mother-fucking bitch! Where the hell is that brat?! I'm gonna cut her into twenty fucking pieces!" Hidan came staggering out of the woods and towards the pair, holding his three-bladed scythe in one hand and using the other to cover the left side of his face, which seemed to be a little bruised and swollen.

"Something wrong, Hidan?" Kisame coolly asked him.

The priest turned his violet eyes, which were alight with fury, on the shark-man. "Yes, something is wrong Kisame! That bastard's," he pointed to Itachi, "fucking brat jumped me and beat me nearly fucking senseless with that fucking sword-thing that _you_ gave to her, you asshole!"

Kisame covered his mouth to stifle his laughing, which wasn't working out too well, so he resorted to pretending that he was coughing instead. Hidan glared evilly at the blue man and turned his fierce eyes on Itachi.

"You!" he pointed to him with the tip of his scythe, "You need to learn how to fucking control your fucking brat! She's like some fucking savage who was raised by wolves or something!"

Itachi cleared his throat in an attempt to choke down his laughter. "I'm sorry, Hidan. You're right; Mariko shouldn't be running around the forest smacking people with her toy. I'll have a word with her. It won't happen again."

"Fucking right it won't; next time I'll just chop her and save everyone the trouble." The silver-haired priest muttered as he stalked off, still holding his face.

* * *

_You see_

_The things I cannot change_

_The things that make me plain_

_Lift me up my soul's so hollow_

_Lift me up_

_We've made_

_All from the sum of none_

_All that we have become_

_Lift me up my soul's so hollow_

_Lift me up my soul's so hollow_

_-- "Hollow"_

* * *

**Ahaha! Mariko is so bad! Can you see why I chose the Enya song for her??? ;D **


	8. Let Go

**Hi everyone!!! I'm back with another chapter! I got so many awesome reviews for the last one...thank you all so so so so soooooo much!!! XD **

**A few quick notes before we get started:**

**1.) School officially sucks! I am gone from 8 (or 8.30, depending on the day) in the morning until 2.30 in the afternoon, then I work at 4, go out to the horse barn, come back to my house, shower, eat, do homework and go to bed, only to get up and do it all over again the next day. My life is soooo awesome :P Anyways, my point is that there isn't a whole lot of writing time in there, so if it takes a little while for me to get chapters up...that's why.**

**2.) I just want to do a really quick recap of where everyone stood at the end of the last chapter(since there was some timeskipping) so that you don't have to go back and read it again (unless you want to, which is great!): Mariko was 6 years old; Naruto and Hinata are married and their son Hachi was just born; Neji and Tenten are married and expecting.**

**That's all, I hope you like the chapter!!! Let me know what you think in a review!!! **

**-Keita**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Let Go**_

_I don't wanna be afraid_

_I don't wanna run away_

_I don't wanna be here fading_

_It's more than I can take_

_I'm never gonna be the same_

_I threw it all away_

_I don't wanna be here fading_

_Just let go_

_--"Let Go"_

* * *

_Seven Years Later_

* * *

"Mooooooooommmmm! Save meeeeeeeee!!!" A little boy's voice resounded through the halls of the Hyuuga mansion.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Squealed another little voice.

Two children came racing around a corner and nearly collided with a servant carrying fresh linens. They quickly dodged the woman and continued their wild rampage.

Hiashi had decided to have a little "family reunion" that weekend, and he had invited Hinata and Naruto and their three children, Neji and Tenten and their son, and Hanabi and her boyfriend, to come and stay in the mansion.

Hachi, Hinata and Naruto's first son, was now seven, as was his cousin Keiji. Naruto and Hinata also had a five-year-old daughter named Sayuri and a one-year-old son named Jiro, and they were creating havoc in the usually-quiet Hyuuga residence.

The children were playing some sort of game that seemed to be a mix of Tag, Kill-the-Carrier and Hide-and-Seek. Naruto had gone to try and calm the kids down a little, and had nearly been run over by the three stampeding children. He managed to escape from the near-death incident though, and figured that sooner or later, they would just wear each other out and be quiet for the rest of the day. That was nearly four hours ago.

"Where do they get all the energy?" Tenten asked, laughing, as she and Hinata sat at the kitchen table, drinking tea and occasionally watching their kids when they happened to be dashing by.

Hinata shrugged. "Beats me, all I know is that trying to keep up with them is like trying to keep up with a hurricane."

Tenten sighed longingly. "I think I used to have that much energy once."

"You still do," Neji winked; he and Naruto had just walked in the kitchen.

Tenten smiled up at her husband. "Awww…thanks sweetie."

Naruto held Jiro under one arm like he might a puppy; the baby was squealing delightedly.

"This one is the only one who is manageable," he said, sighing as he flopped down in a chair next to Hinata.

Jiro sat up on his father's chest, clutching handfuls of his shirt to maintain his balance. Naruto ruffled his youngest son's dark hair fondly. The little one yawned and snuggled up under his father's chin, sticking his thumb in his mouth as he closed his pale eyes.

Hinata smiled warmly at the sight. Suddenly an image of Itachi snuggling with Mariko in the same manner popped into her head. She had never seen them together like that, obviously, but she could imagine that he had done it many times. Her smile faded slightly.

Naruto looked over at her. "Hey, are you alright?"

She quickly snapped out of it and her smile returned to her face. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

Her husband didn't look convinced.

"Really, I'm fine."

"Alright, if you say so."

She managed to keep Itachi and Mariko out of her mind for the rest of the day while she visited with her family and tried to find and catch her two older children when it was bedtime.

* * *

"I don't know about this…" Kisame looked at the faces of the other Akatsuki members uncertainly; everyone except for Hidan, Tobi and Kakuzu was in attendance at this "secret meeting" that had been called.

"Look, it's the only way that it'll activate. If it doesn't, then she'll never be able to use it." Itachi replied coldly. He didn't really like the idea that he was throwing out on the table either, but he knew that it was necessary for his daughter's own good.

"Right, but why does it have to be _him_, un?" Deidara asked.

Itachi sighed with annoyance. "Because he's the only one who will really scare her enough for it to work; for all she knows, he really will kill her."

"I still don't like it."

"Well I don't _care_ what you think about it; she's my daughter and it's my decision, alright?" he stood up and stalked off to find Hidan.

The silver-haired priest was just finishing his rituals in his room when Itachi knocked on his closed door. Hidan opened the door a moment later, blood dripping from his fresh wounds.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"I need you to do something for me," Itachi grumbled, obviously not wanting to ask anything of the Jashinist.

Hidan wiped at trickle of blood that was running down his cheek. "Why the hell would I do anything for you?"

"It's not actually for me as much as it's for Mariko."

"Oh, fuck that, I'm not doing anything that will help that little brat! Find someone else!"

He was about to slam his door shut again when Itachi stuck his foot in the door and laid his hand on the frame, preventing it from closing.

"I promise, you're going to enjoy this." He said in a low, dark voice.

* * *

He figured that she would be off in the woods somewhere, probably reading. Lately, it seemed to be a common pastime that she indulged in. He would see her walking off to the forest with a ratty old book tucked under her arm, and she wouldn't return until the sun had set or she had finished the book.

He frowned at himself; _why the fuck do I know this about her? _

He made his way to the clearing that was about a quarter mile from the hideout and, after a quick round of eenie-meenie-miney-mo, he decided to head slightly northwest.

He walked for twenty minutes, and was about to head back to the clearing and try another direction, when he heard her humming lightly. He followed the sound of her voice and saw her foot dangling from the high tree branch on which she was sitting with her back against the trunk, deeply engrossed in a book, as he had predicted.

He walked to the base of the tree, leaning his scythe against the trunk, and looked up at her.

"Hey, brat! Get down here!"

Mariko gave a violent start and nearly dropped her book. She turned her silver eyes down on the immortal priest with annoyance. "Why, what do you want?"

"Don't ask me questions, just fucking do it!"

Mariko rolled her eyes. She was used to Hidan's foul mouth, but she thought that it was immature for a man his age to use such language constantly. Still though, she didn't feel like listening to him cussing up a storm; the sooner she did whatever it was he wanted, the sooner he would shut up and she could get back to her book.

She jumped easily down from the tree, landing in front of the silver-haired man.

"Alright, now wha-…?" She barely had time to duck the three glistening blades that were coming at her head, let alone finish her sentence.

Her silver eyes were now wide with shock. "What the hell was that?!" she cried from where she now sat on the ground.

Hidan didn't answer her, simply prepared his scythe to swing again. Mariko felt fear begin to rise up in her chest, threatening to choke her.

She didn't understand what was happening; was he really trying to kill her, or was he just playing some sick joke? Either way, the deranged look that was in his violet eyes was enough to make her decide that it would be better to ask questions later, like when her father and the rest of the Akatsuki would be there to protect her.

She stood, leaving her book where it had fallen, and started to run, ducking another swing from Hidan's deadly weapon.

"Let the chase begin," he whispered to himself, watching her retreating form as she dodged around tree trunks. He sprinted off after her.

Mariko was panting hard; she was afraid to look behind her, but it was killing her to not know if he was there or not.

_Of course it could kill me if I turn around and look, too,_ she thought. But she decided to chance it anyways. She glanced over her shoulder quickly; he wasn't there. This freaked her out even more. Where was he?!

She was practically flying she was running so fast. She was almost at the clearing, and she decided to look behind her one last time before the final sprint back to the hideout.

He was still nowhere in sight. She felt a bit better; maybe he had given up chasing her? She looked forward just in time to see Hidan's scythe flash past her head and bury the tips of its three blades into a tree trunk instead.

Mariko wheeled around, caught off balance by ducking out of the path of the flying blades. She skidded to a stop on one knee with her other foot straight out, heel digging into the ground to slow her, leaning on one hand for balance, her silver eyes focused on the crazed priest in front of her.

Suddenly, her vision changed; everything went red. _Oh, Kami, was I hit? Am I bleeding?! _This caused her to freeze in the position she was in.

She saw Hidan's feet slowly walk over to where she was kneeling in the dirt with a confused look on her face. He bent down so that his face was nearly level with hers. He put two fingers under her chin and tilted her face up to his, brushing aside the two long pieces of black hair that hung loose on either side of her face; he looked at her in an inspecting manner.

An evil smirk came over his face. "Alright, game over. My work is done." He released her and stood straight again.

He walked over to the tree where his scythe was still embedded in the trunk and yanked it out. He threw it over his shoulder and started across the clearing, in the direction of the hideout.

Mariko had begun shaking violently when her vision had gone red; she had no idea what was happening or what it meant. She was still trembling when the priest turned to look back at her. Seeing that she still hadn't stood up on her own, he gave an exasperated sigh and walked back over to her. He only had to use one arm to hoist her light body up onto her feet.

She nearly fell back to the ground when he let her go, but he managed to catch her. "For fuck's sake, I didn't really scare you that badly did I?"

He decided that it would be much less troublesome and take less time if he just carried her. But he barely lifted her off the ground before she began thrashing wildly and he just about dropped her.

The second her feet were on the ground again, she was off and running once more, this time not looking back or slowing down until she was safely behind the door of the hideout. Even then, she continued to tear through the house, slipping and totally wiping out on the kitchen floor, sliding roughly into the base of the cabinets, but quickly scrambling to her feet and taking off down the hallway until she made it to her room and had slammed and locked the door behind her.

Half of the Akatsuki members sat, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, in her wake.

"Was that…?" Sasori started.

"Yeah, un."

"Kami, she looked absolutely terrified." Kisame observed with concern in his voice.

"Mariko doesn't even run that fast when she's racing Tobi!"

"I know, un. I'm really worried about her now."

"Should someone go and check on her?" Sasori was about to get up, when Itachi walked in.

"Is she back yet?" he asked the four members sitting in the living room.

Deidara nodded. "Yeah, un. But she didn't look so good. She came flying in here like she was being chased by a pack of demons, un. Maybe you should go and check on her?"

Itachi walked calmly down the hall to his daughter's bedroom door and knocked three times.

"W-who is it?" he heard Mariko's voice whisper.

"It's me."

He heard some movement, and the door cracked open slightly, then opened all the way. He walked in and Mariko slammed the door shut and locked it once again.

"Dad! Something is really wrong! First, Hidan chased me through the woods with his huge scythe; I think he was really going to kill me! And then my eyesight went all red! And I don't know what it means and I'm really scared dad!"

Itachi calmly grabbed his daughter's shoulders to steady her and tilted her face up to him the same way Hidan had done. Upon seeing her red eyes, he smiled satisfactorily and released her.

"Wh-what? Why did you just do that? Hidan did the same thing! Why did you both look at me like that?!" Mariko demanded.

Itachi sighed and took a seat on Mariko's black and pink bed. "You have Uchiha blood in you, Mariko, and all Uchihas are gifted with the Sharingan eyes. This ability can be used to memorize any jutsu techniques, allow you to track fast moving objects and predict their movements and has certain hypnotic properties. However, the eyes don't just work on their own, they have to be activated. The only way that this can happen is when the owner of the eyes is put in a life-threatening situation where the Sharingan can save their life," he paused, allowing this to register, "You're thirteen years old now, it's time that you learned how to use those eyes."

Mariko was just staring at her father disbelievingly. "So…so you _told_ Hidan to do that? To chase me through the woods, acting like he was going to cut off my head?! All so that I would get my special eye-powers activated?! How could you do that to me?! I really thought I was going to die!!! That has got to be one of the sickest things I've ever heard of!"

Itachi was in no mood to be torn at by his own daughter. He stood menacingly over her. "Listen!" he hissed in a low voice, "I was doing you a favor! These eyes are a priceless asset to you! They'll give you an advantage in battle and allow you to survive! You should be thanking me!"

"Maybe tomorrow," she said bitterly as she sat down on her bed, "right now, I'd really just like to be alone. So if you can find it in your heart to just let me be in peace after my slightly disturbing ordeal, I'd appreciate _that_."

Angered that his daughter didn't understand the gift that he had just opened up to her, and at her dismissive attitude, Itachi stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Mariko wiped a single tear away from her eyes, now back to their silver color, and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She unconsciously toyed with her black luck beads, still looped around her left wrist. It was times like these that she desperately wished that her mother was there. She had no idea who her mother was, or why she had left her alone with her father thirteen years ago, but she liked to think that her mother would have prevented a scenario such as this from occurring. Sometimes, she wondered if her father realized that by "helping" her, he was actually psychologically damaging her young mind.

A light tapping at her door caused her mind to skip back to the present; she was still exceedingly edgy, but she had calmed down enough that she felt she could answer her door. Hopefully it was Deidara or Tobi, coming to cheer her up. She stood and walked over to it, turning the handle and opening it to reveal the silver-haired priest standing casually in the hallway.

She stopped breathing momentarily and stood frozen to the spot, memories of the all-too-recent occurrence in the woods rushing back to her.

He grinned wolfishly. "I brought your book back; you dropped it when you started running." He held the leather-bound volume out to her.

She dropped her eyes to it and cautiously reached her hand out for it, then snatched it and held it closely against her. And before she even knew it, she had wound up and literally smacked his grin right off his face. Upon realizing what she had done, her face paled and fear rose up in her chest again. She immediately slammed and locked her door, praying that he didn't bust in there to kill her for real.

Hidan didn't take shit from anybody. If there was a problem, he would just chop off their heads. However, he wasn't really upset when Mariko slapped him in the face; he knew he deserved it. He had just scared the girl nearly senseless, after all.

"Damn, girl packs a mean fucking hit," he muttered, delicately touching his stinging cheek as he walked further down the hall to his own room.

* * *

"What are you doing up?" Naruto asked in a quieted voice.

It was nearly two in the morning, and he had gotten up when he had noticed that Hinata was missing from their bed. He found her in the kitchen, sitting at the table staring out of the window towards the forest, lost in thought.

She snapped out of it and looked up at him. "I couldn't sleep. Sorry if I worried you."

"It's okay," he took a seat opposite of her, "Is something wrong?" He could tell that something had been bothering her recently. While they had been staying at the mansion, she had refused to sleep in her old room - which he thought she would have wanted to do – instead, insisting that they stay in one of the countless guest rooms. However, he didn't want to press the matter, he would rather have her tell him freely what was troubling her.

"Nothing's wrong; I'm fine," she said.

Naruto sighed dejectedly; he had really hoped that she would tell him. "Listen, I don't wanna pry, but you've been acting…different lately. I'm really not sure why, but you won't tell me what you're thinking, so I can't help you."

She turned her pearly eyes on her husband, whose face showed nothing but the utmost concern for her. She sighed. She hated not telling him how the trip to her father's house had brought back memories from thirteen years ago of spending nights wrapped in Itachi's arms and sitting out on the roof until the early morning hours.

"I…I can't…" she began.

"Hinata," he stopped her, "You can tell me anything. When we got married, we vowed to be truthful to each other. Whatever's on your mind, you can tell me, I promise I won't be upset. I just want to see you back to your normal self."

She felt terrible. She wanted to tell him everything; but how could she? How could she tell him that she had fallen in love with a member of the Akatsuki, slept with him on numerous occasions and had his child…when she was only sixteen, nonetheless! She couldn't tell him that.

She sighed again and looked at her husband, whose clear blue eyes were on her, waiting for her to say something. "I can't tell you. I want to, but I just can't. It doesn't matter now anyways, it happened a long time ago…" Her voice drifted off.

Not only was Naruto upset that his own wife wouldn't tell him what was bothering her – especially since she made it seem like whatever it was, it wasn't a big deal and he should just forget about it – but he was also a bit curious to find out what had happened. But he could see that she was resolute in her decision to not tell him.

He sighed and turned his eyes down in defeat. "Alright," he said, "I'll trust you when you say that it's nothing," he stood up, heading back towards the bedroom, "I just wish you could trust me as easily." He said to her over his shoulder.

* * *

_It's an animal city_

_It's a cannibal world_

_So be obedient, don't argue_

_Some are ready to fight you_

_-- "Animal City" _


	9. Quick AN For Chap 8!

**Quick A/N: (regarding chapter 8)**

**Sorry! I forgot to do music in the last chapter!!!**

**Music: Title Track: "Let Go" by Red; End Credits: "Animal City" by Shakira; Others: "Headstrong" by Trapt, "Set Fire to the Third Bar" by Snow Patrol**

**Sorry, sorry!!!**


	10. Memories

**Okay, everyone, here's another chapter for my wonderful readers!!! I don't really have much to say except that school sucks and R&R!!! And enjoy the chapter, of course :D**

**Music: Title Track: "Memories" by Within Temptation; End Credits: "Wicked Game" by HIM; Others: "The Numa Numa Song" by Ozone, "Beautiful Lie" by 30 Seconds to Mars, "Smile Like You Mean It" by The Killers**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Memories**_

_Made me promise I'd try_

_to find my way back in this life._

_I hope there is a way_

_to give me a sign you're ok._

_Reminds me again it's worth it all_

_so I can go on_

_--"Memories"_

* * *

After her conversation with Naruto in the kitchen, Hinata had consciously worked harder to keep her emotions more in check and to not let herself be so easily readable. The last thing she wanted was to create friction between them over something that had nothing at all to do with him or her current situation. She loved him, she was married to him and she had three children to raise now. She wasn't willing to sacrifice that over thoughts of her past life.

She still wondered about Itachi and Mariko from time to time; she knew that Mariko was a teenager now, and she always wondered what her daughter had turned out to be like. Was she a carefree and happy young girl? Was she one of those troubled children who were distant and cold towards everyone else? Had she made a huge mistake in letting Itachi take her to grow up among criminals and murderers? Sometimes the thoughts were overwhelming, but whenever she felt them coming on, she would crush them to the back of her mind and wait until she was alone to dwell on them.  
However, she was hardly ever completely alone anymore. Her family and her home duties kept her preoccupied, and when they didn't, her friends did. She still trained as often as she could, although it was difficult for her, or any of her friends to get much training in, now that they all had families to look after. Still though, she would meet her girlfriends for friendly sparring matches from time to time.

Naruto noticed how, after he said something to her in the kitchen that night, Hinata had changed again. Luckily though, it was for the better this time. She didn't seem so distracted and wistful; she rarely woke up in the middle of the night, unless it was to go to one of their crying children; she seemed altogether happier.

Her change in demeanor had allowed him to relax as well, though he also still occasionally wondered what it was that had pulled her into such deep thought, and if she would ever tell him.

* * *

Mariko still wouldn't speak to her father and if she caught even a glimpse of Hidan, she would leave whatever she was doing to go and lock herself in her room. Deidara, Tobi, Sasori and Kisame were all worried about her, and each had elected to speak with Itachi about her at some point.

_"Don't you think you should go and say something to her?" Sasori asked._

_"Like __what__?" He asked irritably. "She already knows my reason for doing it and it made her angry. I highly doubt that anything I say now will change that."_

_"How about saying you're sorry? She might appreciate that," The puppeteer suggested._

_"Well I'm not sorry, so I won't say I am."_

Then Deidara had tried.

_"I'm kinda worried about Mariko, un," he stated._

_"What the hell for? She's fine."_

_"No, she's really not, un. She's still really jumpy and she won't even be in the room next to Hidan…I think that that trick of yours really messed her up, un."_

_Itachi had gone from annoyed to angry at this remark. He grabbed the blond explosion artist by the collar and dragged him close so that they were eye to eye. "Listen, Mariko is not 'messed up'. She got scared and she's upset that I scared her, but she'll get over it. Once she does, she'll understand why I did it and she'll eventually learn to appreciate it."_

_"Alright, alright, Kami, don't have to get all pissy about it," Deidara mumbled as he struggled slightly against Itachi's hold._

_Itachi released him and stalked off._

Kisame's talk with his teammate had pretty much gone the same way; Itachi was aggravated that someone was saying something to him _again_, and he just ended up getting angry and walking off.

Tobi's "talk" seemed to be the only one that might have had any effect on the cold Uchiha at all.

_"Itachi! Where's Mariko? Tobi was supposed to meet her so that she could teach me how to do a double back-flip!"_

_Itachi, who had been going over a mission protocol, held his forehead in annoyance. "I don't know where Mariko is, Tobi, she's not speaking to me, remember?"_

_Tobi stood silent for a second. Itachi went back to his papers, but turned when he noticed that the masked man hadn't gone away. "Did you need something else?"_

_"You shouldn't be mean to Mariko! She used to be fun and smile and laugh and now she doesn't! Why did you have to make her sad?!" And with that being said, he turned and ran off, whether because he was avoiding the beating that he counted on getting, because he was going off to search for the missing girl some more, or because he was upset, it wasn't clear._

_But he left Itachi sitting, slightly stunned by the outburst. He quickly regained composure though, and turned back to his work, but he couldn't concentrate. He knew that what Tobi said was true; Mariko hadn't laughed, REALLY laughed, or smiled since the day Hidan had chased her through the woods. He ran his hand over his face, holding his chin thoughtfully. _

_He __should__ go and apologize to Mariko; explain to her that his intentions had been good and that he hadn't really expected the encounter to scar her so deeply. But he couldn't. First of all, he wasn't one to apologize for anything to anyone. But it wasn't merely his pride keeping him from mending things with his daughter, it was also the fact that, while he felt bad that she had been so affected by that day, he wasn't sorry that he had done it, for she was already learning how to use her Sharingan and he knew that once she had mastered this, she would be a formidable opponent and a valuable asset to the organization. _

So he didn't say anything to her, and she avoided him when she could or was as brief as she could be with him when she was forced to speak to him.

She would still talk with the other Akatsuki members like she did before, though they all noticed what Tobi had: she just wasn't the same person that she had been before the events of that day.

If Hidan felt any remorse for the huge part he had taken in hurting the girl, he certainly didn't show it. He went about his everyday activities the same way he always had. He did notice that whenever he was near enough, Mariko would leave and go to her own room, but the only reaction that he had to this was to roll his eyes as if she was just overreacting to some menial thing like all teenagers do.

* * *

One night, Mariko was in her room, reading a book while lying across her hot pink and black bedspread, when all of a sudden her door burst open. She leapt about a foot in the air and nearly fell off the bed rolling over to see who it was.

It was Deidara and Tobi and a boom box. She looked at the pair with confusion in her silver eyes. The clock on her nightstand told her that it was 11:30 pm, and she wasn't sure exactly what the blond and the masked man had in mind, as Deidara set the boom box down and they both turned to face Mariko.

She brushed the pieces of hair that framed her face out of her eyes and asked, "What are you guys doing? And what's with the boom box?"

"We're here to cheer you up, un," Deidara responded pleasantly.

Tobi nodded fervently. "Yeah!"

Mariko smiled. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that with a boom box?"

"We are gonna break it down with an awesome techno dance party, un!" Deidara said excitedly as he inserted a CD into the device.

Seconds later, crazy dance music came flowing forward. Tobi began jumping around and waving his arms excitedly, beginning his "dancing". Deidara also started doing some sort of jumping-dance. Mariko just watched them amusedly until "The Numa Numa Song" by Ozone came on.

When she heard her favorite crazy-dance song begin, she couldn't resist the urge to get up and dance any longer. She jumped up and began hopping and leaping around while simultaneously thrusting her arms in the air at every which angle and banging her head like a rocker.

She made her way over to her desk and flipped a switch that turned on her mini disco-ball light, then hopped over to the wall where her light switch was and flipped it so that the big light went out, leaving them dancing like idiots in a swirl of colored light.

They danced until about 2 am, and for the first time in nearly a month, Mariko really smiled.

* * *

_Four Years Later_

* * *

She raced through the forest, clutching the sword scabbard tightly in her left hand. Her eyes were blood red with the activated Sharingan and she scanned the woodland surrounding her as she ran. She knew these woods well enough by now to know when to duck or jump or dodge in order to avoid hanging branches and fallen trees. She moved on her long, lean legs like a deer, effortlessly springing through the trees.

She picked up on a faint movement out of the corner of her left eye, and she turned her full gaze in the direction it came from. She smirked to herself and steered between the trees, slightly towards the gray-blue blur that was moving alongside her. She ran parallel to it while she used her right hand to pull the long samurai sword out of its scabbard. When she had it gripped tightly in her fist, she leapt into the air in a sideways movement, bringing the sword down.

She felt the clash reverberating through her arms as her sword made contact with her opponent's weapon. She jumped back, skidding a few feet before halting and looking ahead determinedly as Kisame came forward with his Samehada handle gripped tightly in his hands, ready for a fresh onslaught of attacks.

Mariko stood and took a couple of cautious steps forward before breaking into a run again. Kisame grinned, showing off his sharp teeth as he readied his defensive attack.

Her attack was fierce; she ran straight towards him until the last second, when she faked a left then ducked to her right, using her empty sword scabbard to lash out at the shark-man's currently unprotected shoulder.

He was quick though and had spun and deflected her attack with his Samehada. She backed down, circling and looking for another opening. She saw it when Kisame shifted so that he could keep her in his sight; he was using his right leg to anchor himself while he pivoted around, and he had left it unprotected. She seized the opportunity and raced forward in a zigzag motion, ducked under a Samehada swing and lifted the sword, ready to bring it down on his leg.

However, he pulled his leg out of the way at the last moment and spun around. She slowed and turned around just in time to receive a blow to the stomach from Samehada. She felt the breath leave her body as she was shot down to the ground.

She groaned as she sat up on her elbows, still holding the sword in her right hand and the scabbard in her left. She used the back of her hand to rub some of the dirt away from her mouth, while glaring at Kisame with burning eyes.

He was making his way over to her, a grin on his face. "You've got those wonderful eyes and yet you still fall for tricks like that?" He shook his head in feigned disappointment. "I thought you would have learned better by now." He reached her and offered a hand to help her up.

She took it. "And I thought that I told you no cheap shots!" she exclaimed accusingly as he hoisted her to her feet. She sheathed her sword and used her now-free hand to brush dirt off of her slightly flared black stretchy pants and her Akatsuki cloud tank top. She had discovered an old discarded cloak not too long ago and had decided to be creative and make some clothing out of it, rather than wear the actual cloak around.

"It was hardly a cheap shot," Kisame argued. "I can't help it if you give me such easy openings with your brash attacks. You're just lucky that I agree to keep this thing taped up while we practice." He patted Samehada fondly.

"Hn." Was all that Mariko said in reply. Her eyes had gone from red back to silver and she turned them to the sky, where the first purple streaks of dusk were staining it.

Kisame also looked up. "We should start heading back," he said, "We're gonna miss dinner if we don't hurry."

Mariko nodded, tying the sword scabbard around her waist. She looked back at the blue-skinned man mischievously. "I'll race you," she said suggestively, competitive fire flaring up in her silver eyes again.

Kisame grinned. "You're on."

* * *

Dinner had been cold by the time Mariko and Kisame made it back to the hideout, dirty and panting, so she offered to do the dishes. She was busy at the sink, scrubbing away at the pieces of food that were still stuck to the plates and preparing a hot, soapy water bath to let them sit in, while the other Akatsuki members went off to do their own things. Deidara, Tobi, Zetzu and Sasori had all gone to watch TV, Kisame had gone to take a shower, Kakuzu went to do a "money inventory", Itachi grabbed a book and headed to his room and she had no idea where Hidan went…probably off to do some sick ritual.

Things between Mariko and her father were still tense – they had never been quite the same since that day four years ago – but they were acting civilly towards one another and she was speaking to him again.

However, she still avoided Hidan whenever she could. As a baby and toddler, he had never interacted with her, and being ignored made her strive for his attention; as a child, she had understood that he didn't interact with her because he didn't like her, so she had just ignored him as well, after all, she'd had Deidara, Tobi, Kisame, Sasori, her father, and even Zetzu to play with.

Then he had chased her through the forest, making her believe that he was going to cut her to ribbons with his massive three-bladed scythe, and she had never trusted him after that; not that she had _ever_ completely trusted him, even before that day.

She finished putting the dirty dishes in the cleansing water. She turned away from the sink and looked down at herself. She was filthy; dirt covered her arms and hands and face, there were dirt and grass stains on her clothes, even though they were difficult to see on the black fabric, and a small tear in her shirt.

"Dammit," she sighed as she poked her finger through the hole.

Closing her eyes and moaning, she stretched her arms above her head, then placed her hands on her hips as she arched her back, smiling when she heard her spine crack and felt her muscles loosen up a bit. She sighed contentedly.

When she opened her eyes, the smile fell from her face and she froze; Hidan was right there, standing a few feet in front of her, watching her as she stretched. There were trickles of blood from newly inflicted wounds running down his face, his bare chest and his arms. His violet eyes moved over her in a way that would have made her knee him if he had been any other guy. She didn't like to admit it to herself, but she was still intimidated by the silver-haired Jashinist. But that didn't mean that she was too scared to say something.

"Problem?" she asked, hoping that the annoyed tone she meant to take on covered up the shakiness in her voice.

He didn't say anything, or make any indication that he had heard her, which irritated her, because she knew that he had.

She hated the way he was looking at her; it reminded her of a wolf eyeing a fawn that had wandered away from its mother. Alarmed and bothered by his behavior, she was about to say something else, when he suddenly moved forward.

He covered the distance between them in just a few strides, stopping right in front of her so that she was eye-level with his defined collarbone. He was looking down at her with those intense eyes of his, and she caught her breath. He brought his face down to hers so close that they were almost touching.

She went as rigid as a plank when he put a hand on her hip; she wasn't even trying to conceal her fright, she was far too confused and panicked to do so.

He opened his mouth and for a split second, she thought he was going to kiss her, they were that close. Instead, he whispered, "You're blocking the fucking sink." And he used the hand that was on her hip to move her around so that their positions were reversed; their eyes were still connected.

He let his hand fall and he smirked as he turned his back to her, turned on the faucet and began washing the blood off his body.

She backed away from him slowly, never tearing her eyes from him. Her hands were cold and clammy and she clenched them into fists instinctively. Once out of the kitchen, she turned and walked mechanically down to her room.

She had locked the bedroom door and gone into her bathroom, locking that door behind her as well. She began breathing in great gasps, while clutching the sides of the sink; she started trembling; her eyes welled up, making them look like pools of quicksilver. She looked at her reflection in the mirror; she looked pitiful.

"Dammit!" she yelled, slamming her fist into the wall, effectively creating a small crater. She was angry that he still had this effect on her; she was sure that she was over what had happened enough that she could look at him in the face and not feel the old fear rising up in her. Apparently, she was wrong.

After inspecting her newly busted knuckles, she stripped off her dirty and torn clothing and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the dirt and sweat, blood and tears, fear and rage.

_Next time_, she thought as she watched the diluted blood from her hand wash down the drain at her feet, _next time, I won't break down like that. No matter what he does, how he looks at me or what he says, I will not be afraid of him._

* * *

_What a wicked game to play_

_To make me feel this way_

_What a wicked thing to do_

_To let me dream of you_

_What a wicked thing to say_

_You never felt this way_

_What a wicked thing to do_

_To make me dream of you_

_--"Wicked Game"_


	11. Lost

**Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter that I hope you will enjoy!!! **

**There is just one thing that I want to make clear about this chapter: IT IS RATED M!!! As of now, this story has been T-rated, but this one is for sure an M...so, if you're not supposed to be reading M-rated stuff, you probably shouldn't read it. **

**Okay, other than the usual R&R, I think that's it...so enjoy!!!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Lost" by Avenged Sevenfold; End Credits: "Cold (But I'm Still Here)" by Evans Blue; Others: "Dance With the Devil" by Breaking Benjamin, "Unintended" by Muse, "Searchlights" by Falling Up, "Nymphetamine" by Cradle of Filth**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Lost**_

_We've all been lost for most of this life_

_Everywhere we turn more hatred surrounds us_

_And I know that most of us just ain't right_

_Following the wrong steps, being led by pride_

_--"Lost"_

* * *

The silver-eyed girl sat at the table, her feet resting on the chair opposite of her, her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand. It was early; she hadn't been able to sleep and when she had, it had been in nightmarish fits from which she had awoken panting and in a cold sweat, so she had just gotten up. She had made coffee and taken a couple of sips from her mug, but she really just wanted something warm to hold while she sat in the cold, gray darkness of the hideout before sunrise.

She didn't know what she should do about facing her fear of Hidan. Should _she_ confront _him_, or should she wait for him to make another move like he had the night before? _Would_ he do something like that again? Should she create a scenario in which that sort of interaction would be unavoidable? Would he react in the same manner?

She groaned and held her head in frustration. She wanted so badly to be free of this man…this crazy, silver-haired, violet-eyed immortal religious fanatic who had haunted her, both waking and sleeping, for the past four years. Every single time she had woken in the night crying, screaming or fighting, it had been his face she had been seeing, and he was always chasing her through an endless forest with that lethal scythe held up, catching the rays of the sun. Only in her dreams, he didn't stop once her vision had gone red. Instead, he walked over to where she was frozen on the ground and with one swing, sliced her head clean off her shoulders.

However, her nightmares last night had been of a different sort.

_They were both in the forest, and he began chasing her, but he didn't have his scythe in his hand. She was still afraid of him though. She looked over her shoulder as she ran, only to trip over a tree root protruding from the ground, and fall down to the earth. He had been there in an instant, that wolfish smile spreading across his face as he slowly made his way towards her. She crawled backwards on her hands and heels until her back was against a tree trunk. When he was standing directly in front of her, he bent down so that their faces were on the same level. She couldn't take her eyes from his face, but he let his roam all over her shaking form. _

_Then, quicker than the blink of an eye, he had her by the throat and hoisted her to her feet, slamming her back into the tree trunk again. His grip on her neck was firm, but not choking, like he simply wanted to keep her in place. He brought his face so close to hers, she could feel his breath on her neck and it sent shivers down her spine; she closed her eyes, unable to look at him any longer. Suddenly, she felt something warm and wet draw a line from her collarbone to her ear and her eyes snapped open in time to see him withdraw his tongue into his mouth again. _

_She stared at him in confusion for a moment, fear still ruling her features. He grinned at her again and the hand on her neck tightened slightly, keeping her still, while he slowly put his mouth on hers. She had wanted to cry out, but his hand on her throat was tight enough to prevent her from making any sound, so she just shut her eyes tightly, praying that he would release her soon. _

_But he didn't. Instead, he used his free hand to slide up under her tank top and run up and down her torso. She gasped a little when he did this, and he used this opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. She tried to lift her arms, seemingly paralyzed until then, to push him off of her, but he had retaliated by removing his hand from her throat and taking both of her small wrists in his big hand and pinning them above her head. _

_She gave a little whimper as he moved his hand further up her body, until he was kneading one of her breasts. She tried to pull her hands out of his grip, but he only tightened his hold; she tried to lift one of her legs to kick out at him, but before she could, he had crushed her body against the tree with his own, grinding his hips into hers; she tried to twist her head away, breaking the kiss, but somehow, he managed to keep her right where she was._

_He relinquished his hold on her breast, only to let his hand begin traveling over her body again…only this time, he seemed to be intent on moving downward. He toyed with the band of her sweats as she writhed helplessly against him, now in panic, just trying to get any part of her free. He pulled away from her just enough so that he could watch her face as he let his fingers travel further down, under her panties until…_

She had woken up at that point, choking and sweating and shaking, and that's when she had gone to the kitchen. This dream disturbed her as much as, if not more than, the others that she had grown accustomed to. She wondered why the dream had changed. Probably because of how close he had been to her last night, how close their faces had been and how she thought that he might kiss her.

She wondered what she would have done. Would she have frozen up like she had in her dream, too panicked too react? Or would she have kneed him and smacked him across the face like she would have undoubtedly wanted to? She dug the heels of her hands into her closed eyes in aggravation. She hated not knowing how she would react to any situation, let alone one where the man she hated forced himself on her; she hoped that she would never have to find out.

Her coffee was getting cold; she stretched her arms across the table and put her head down on them, the long black pieces of hair that usually framed her face spilled onto the table. She sighed heavily, letting her eyelids droop a little. She glanced up at the clock on the wall; it was 4:15. She sighed again. She wanted to sleep, but she didn't want to be plagued by erotic nightmares again, so she shook her head and sipped her freezing coffee. It tasted disgusting and she made an awful face, but she managed to choke down a few swallows. However, she didn't have the energy or willpower to get up and make more coffee when she ran out at 5.

* * *

He had gotten up at 5:30 to say his morning prayers and it was 6:30 by the time he was finished with both his prayers and his ritual. He wiped most of the blood away in his bathroom sink, cursing under his breath when a particular cut on his shoulder wouldn't stop bleeding. He grabbed an old tattered towel and tore a strip of it off. Holding one end of it in place with his teeth, he wrapped the other end around his arm, above the cut, and pulled it tight, creating a temporary tourniquet.

He walked out of his room and down the hallway, passing the living room and shuffling into the kitchen. He walked straight to the refrigerator and took out a carton of orange juice, popped it open and drank right out of it. He also grabbed an apple and turned, about to head back to his room and attempt to clean up the worst of the bloody mess on his floor while it was still fresh, when he saw the Uchiha girl, asleep, on the table.

He tiptoed over to her, looking down at her sleeping face. He cruelly thought about slamming the orange juice carton down on the table surface and scaring the daylights out of her…but he had already done that, hadn't he? He still didn't understand why she was so afraid of him. Sure he had frightened her by pretending he was going to kill her…but 1.) he hadn't, 2.) her father had explained to her _why_ he had done it, and 3.) it happened four fucking years ago! She still acted like he did it yesterday!

He sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the table that wasn't holding her feet up. He took another swig of the orange juice as he watched her sleep. He noticed that she was dangerously close to inhaling one of the pieces of hair that fell down next to her face. He carefully reached out and used one finger to lift it away from her mouth and lay it across her cheek instead. She didn't stir, and he released a breath he hadn't realized that he'd been holding.

He bit a chunk out of his apple and chewed on it as he thought back to the events of the previous night in the kitchen. The sink in his bathroom, where he usually cleaned himself up a bit after doing his rituals had been slightly backed up, so he had come into the kitchen to use that sink, only to find _her_ stretching herself out like a great cat. He had been stopped in his tracks. She had her chest thrust forward, making her breasts appear even fuller; and that little tank top she'd been wearing…

But then she had opened her eyes and seen him, and although she tried to play it cool – even going so far as to give him a little attitude – he could see the fear in her eyes. He had decided to play with her a little, see just how far he could push her before she either gave him what he deserved or went insane with fear.

He had thought about kissing her on the mouth when they were close, just to freak her out. However, he'd decided that that would have been playing really dirty and he didn't want to screw her up too much more than she already was, so he had refrained from the kiss.

She gave a small groan as she dreamed and clenched her right hand into a fist; it was then that he noticed the fresh marks on her knuckles. Obviously, she had hit something…_hard_. Her knuckles, broken open from the strain of being clenched too tightly, began to drip fresh blood.

He saw this and got up to get a damp cloth, claiming to himself that it was because he didn't want to be blamed for a bloodstain on the table when the rest of the Akatsuki saw it.

He wasn't sure whether or not to wake her up. He didn't want to scare her again by waking her up to clean her knuckles, but he also didn't think that she would react favorably if he tried to do it while she was still asleep and then she woke up to find him touching her. Either way, he was screwed. _Damn that stupid girl!_ He should just let her bleed out. But, as he saw the blood flowing more heavily out, he decided that to let her wake up in a pool of her own blood would be the worst of all. He decided to go with option two: try to treat the wound without waking up the girl.

Stealthily, he kneeled down at the edge of the table, near her injured hand and tentatively laid the damp cloth over the bleeding sites on her knuckles. The cloth immediately began soaking up the dark red liquid. He smiled satisfactorily, convinced that all was going well, until he glanced at her face and saw that her silver eyes were staring at him in shock and fear. _Shit…_

* * *

She had been stirred out of her dreamless sleep by something wet on her hand. Opening one eye slightly, she had caught a glimpse of silver near her, which was more than enough to cause her to open both eyes fully. Sure enough, he was there, but he was tending to her injured knuckles, which had somehow split open again. She didn't dare breath; she wanted to close her eyes again, but she couldn't. It was like she was caught in some trance he was creating and she couldn't break the spell.

She thought her heart would stop when he turned his violet eyes to her silver ones and saw her looking at him. But in all honesty, he seemed more surprised than she was; apparently, he'd been trying to work in secret.

She did her best to beat back the fear that was threatening to overtake her and she was able to keep the impending scream from escaping her throat by biting her trembling bottom lip.

His surprised look was quickly replaced with a look of aggravation. "Listen, I'm not gonna fucking hurt you, alright? Your fucking knuckles split open again and I'm just trying to help, okay? But if you're gonna gawk at me like I've just grown a second fucking head, then I'm not gonna do it!" he whispered fiercely.

She nodded slowly.

"Alright, now can I please fucking sit down while I do this?"

She removed her feet from the chair directly across from her, watching wide-eyed as he stood up and relocated himself to the now vacant chair. He took her bleeding hand in his and dabbed gently at each of the open wounds. He seemed intent on his work, but she was keeping a close eye on him, just in case.

When he finished, he got up and rinsed the cloth with which he had been wiping her blood away. It was then that she noticed the makeshift tourniquet around his arm and the large gash in his shoulder.

"You're bleeding, too," she whispered.

He looked down at his shoulder. "Aw, shit. I'm gonna have to get this stitched. Fuck! I hate stitches."

She stood slowly, making sure that her legs were going to support her before releasing her hold on the table. He thought she was getting ready to make a break for her room, but she didn't. Instead, she walked directly over to his side and began inspecting his wound.

She carefully looked it over for a few moments, then turned her eyes up to his, searching them for something; he wasn't sure what. But she grabbed his wrist and gave it a soft tug before releasing him and saying, "Come with me."

He didn't know where the hell they were going, but she had spoken to him with a small degree of authority in her voice, and he found that his feet just followed her.

She took him down the hallway to her room. "Sit down," she instructed as she went rifting through her desk drawers, looking for something.

He took a seat on the edge of her bed, looking around the room as he sat. She finished in the desk and ran into the bathroom for a second. When she came back to him, she was holding a lighter, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a wad of gauze pads and a travel-sized sewing kit.

She jumped onto the bed, using one hand to pull him farther onto it so that she had better access to his cut. She sat Indian-style next to him, her supplies around her. She unscrewed the lid of the rubbing alcohol and dampened a gauze pad with it. She then used it to clean out the cut.

The hot sting caused him to suck in his breath through his teeth and tense up, but he relaxed when he felt the site cooling down and he realized that she was blowing on it to ease the sting.

Once this was done, she removed the needle from her sewing kit and flicked the lighter into life. She held the needle in the flame for a minute before allowing it to die and cleaning the needle with another alcohol-soaked gauze pad. She threaded the needle with black thread and held his shoulder, closing the ends of the wound in preparation for stitching.

She took a breath and looked up at him; his eyes were on her, and he gave her an affirmative nod, telling her to continue. She pushed the needle through his skin; he winced and tensed when she did. She allowed him a second to breathe before continuing on.

She was almost halfway through when she told him to lie down and turn on his good side – which put him facing away from her - so that she could better see what she was doing; and he did, secretly glad because he was tired of sitting up in that position for so long.

She got down really close to him to put in the final few stitches. She actually had her elbow over his arm and her leg was coming dangerously close to pulling her onto him in an awkward side-straddling position. He was surprised that she didn't mind being so close to him; he was surprised that she had done this of her own free will at all.

"There," she said quietly but with triumph in her voice, when the last stitch was in place. She took another gauze pad, wetted it with alcohol and dabbed it over the neat row of stitches.

He craned his neck up, trying to see them, but he couldn't because they were too far up his shoulder.

She reached and put her hand softly on the side of his face, pushing it back down onto the bed. "Don't strain them; they'll break open." She said.

"Okay, sorry, _doctor_," he said sarcastically, noticing how soft her black and pink comforter was and how good it smelled – like fresh mint - as his face was forced back onto it.

She hadn't expected him to be so agreeable during the procedure; but she was more surprised at herself. She felt proud that she had been able to go through with it and was glad that her hands hadn't shaken so badly that his stitches were all over the place.

In fact, she didn't feel afraid of him at all right now; she watched him as he just lay there on his side, placid and seemingly content. She noticed that his silver hair wasn't slicked back now, as it usually was, and fell around his face and on the bed under him.

She very, very cautiously reached out and fingered a lock of it; it was soft, like down. She twisted it loosely around her finger, watched as the coil sprang off when she released it, then picked up another strand and did the same thing.

He felt her movements at the back of his head and he rolled onto his back so that he could look up at her, his violet eyes glowing in the grayness.

"Are you playing with my hair?" he asked her, a devilish grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

She got a nervous, but not fearful, flutter in her stomach; she wouldn't let it turn into fear. She replied, "It's really soft."

"You gonna ask me what shampoo I use next?" he smirked.

She didn't smile at his jest though, just continued to stare. This bothered him a little. For some reason, he felt a bit uncomfortable under her pale gaze.

"Don't you ever do anything besides stare?"

She turned her eyes away for a second, looking thoughtful, before shifting them back to him. "Why did you do it?" she asked. But it wasn't asked timidly; she was _demanding_ the answer.

"Do…? Oh, that," he replied. He shrugged. "I don't know; your dad asked me to do it, said it would help you with your eyes."

"And you were so eager to help me?" she pressed.

He grinned a little sheepishly. "Well…no, not really. I, um, I figured that it would freak you out a bit," He didn't understand why he felt bad for admitting this. "And I…didn't wanna pass up the opportunity."

"Oh," she breathed. He couldn't read what she was feeling; it wasn't in her face, her voice or her eyes.

"But," he added, "I really didn't think it would scare you as badly as it did."

"If you had known that it was going to, would you still have done it?"

He pondered over this. He hadn't meant to hurt her so badly, but he also hadn't exactly beaten himself up in remorse over it either. "I…I don't know. Does it matter?"

"Not now; what's done is done," she replied.

He nodded, glad that she didn't continue to question him. He looked away guiltily, letting his eyes roam around her room, taking in the little disco ball light on her desk, the picture of the red and black rose that she had painted directly onto the wall, the various books scattered around the room. When he had nowhere else to look, he allowed his eyes to return to her.

She looked distant, and sort of sad; he couldn't blame her, not only had she been frightened near death, but also betrayed by those who she should have been able to trust. That was what hurt her the most.

He didn't know what made him do it; perhaps it was her forlorn face and the lost look in her eyes. He didn't know. But he reached out and gently took hold of her hand and wrist.

She looked at him with startled, but still not fearful, eyes. She was surprised at the warmth of his hand. She was even more surprised when he pulled her downwards.

"Come here," he whispered.

She wasn't sure, she still didn't trust him. But, she reasoned, he didn't have anything to harm her with; he didn't even have a shirt. She supposed he could choke her if he wanted to, but, remembering her resolve not to be frightened of him, she slowly slid forward, now on her stomach, until her face was mere inches from his. Their breaths mingled together; she began to shiver, but she bit her lip and tensed her muscles to keep from making it obvious.

"I…I'm sorry. For scaring you. And for hurting you." He said it in pieces; she knew he wasn't used to apologizing. Still though, she appreciated the gesture.

"Thanks," she breathed softly.

Unable to stop himself, he reached his other hand up to stroke her cheek. It was like his body was on autopilot; his mind was screaming at him, telling him to stop, that he didn't know what he was doing and that he didn't really want to do it, but the rest of his body said otherwise as he gently pulled her face all the way to his, his lips meeting hers.

She automatically closed her eyes when she felt the soft touch of his mouth on hers, but after about a second, she came to her senses and pulled away, gasping slightly and covering her mouth with her hand in disbelief.

"Sorry," he said, "I don't know why I did that." His arms flopped back down on the bed and he stared up at the ceiling.

A moment passed with the both of them remaining that way: her in stunned silence, him in pure confusion. Finally, when he turned his head to one side, she lowered her hand and reached out for his silken hair again.

He smiled a little to himself when she did this, but didn't move. At least not until she reached one hand over to turn his face so that he was forced to look at her again.

"I refuse to be afraid of you for the rest of my life," she whispered determinedly, before doing the only thing that she could think of to prove it, and pressing her mouth firmly to his.

She climbed on top of him so that she was straddling his hips and both of her hands were flat against his chest. If she felt him try to sit up even the slightest bit, she would firmly push him back down.

_If I can't get rid of these stupid dreams,_ she thought, _I'm at least going to change them so that I'm not a victim._

He seemed to have no objections to the direction they were heading in. His hands moved to her waist, which made her vaguely aware that he might try to take control of the situation…and that was the one thing she was determined to not let him do. So she opened her mouth and ran her tongue along his lips, instantly gaining access to his mouth as he opened it without hesitation.

She thrust her tongue into his mouth, exploring it in depth, meeting his tongue with hers and alternating strokes as their kiss became increasingly passionate.

He ran his hands up her waist, along her sides to her shoulders and along her arms, stopping right above her elbows. Then, gripping her tightly, he sat up and flipped her onto her back so quickly and forcefully that she didn't even have time to fight back. He moved his mouth from hers to her neck, nipping and sucking at the soft skin there.

She was panicked for a moment; having him on top of her for real, really feeling the crush of his body on hers, was frightening. But she quickly forced herself to relax, twisting her fingers up in his pale hair.

He moved quickly and stealthily, and she didn't even realize that his hand had snaked its way down the front of her pajama pants until she felt his fingers sliding against her, causing involuntary moans to escape her mouth.

She felt herself getting wetter with each stroke of his hand; he probed into her a couple times, allowing her to lubricate his fingers enough before plunging two of them deeply into her without warning.

She nearly screamed at the pain and the shock, but he covered her mouth with his, stifling any sounds that she might have uttered. Her hands gripped fiercely at his back, her nails dug at his skin.

For a moment, the only movement that he made was with his tongue in her mouth. But then, he began slowly pumping his fingers in and out of her, causing her to squirm in discomfort at first, but then begin to moan with pleasure.

Her mind was racing; she was so caught between blind fear and pure lust. On one hand, she wanted him to stop, because she had clearly lost control of the situation and it was turning out to be more like the unfinished parts of her dream than a feeble attempt to clear her mind of him. She wasn't even sure why the hell she thought that by kissing him she would somehow be freeing herself from him.

However, on the other hand, the way he was touching her and kissing her made her _want_ him to maintain control; he obviously knew what he was doing, and she couldn't deny the enjoyment that she was getting out of it. She was terribly confused.

But his mind was made up; he wanted her right then and there. With one hand still active below her waistband, he used his free hand to slide her shirt up until he was able to take one of her erect nipples in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it teasingly before using his teeth on it, causing more moaning to escape her throat.

She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent deeply; she caught the smoky, spicy, crisp scent of autumn on him. This new sensation caused her mind to explode with the vivid colors of the season, and it seemed to act as a sort of aphrodisiac, for the next thing she knew, she was using her hands and feet to slide his pants down and off of him, freeing his arousal.

Using her actions to fuel on his own, he withdrew his hand from her opening and used it to yank down her pajamas and panties, tossing them aside and then returning to her, parting her knees as he did.

He was ready to take her, but he knew that it would hurt her and she would probably cry out during the first few thrusts. So he moved the hand that had been toying with her shirt to her throat, his thumb rubbing her carotid, while he softly nipped at her flesh and licked along her jawline to distract her. Then, without any forewarning, he pushed into her, causing her to bite down hard on her lip to keep from screaming and to dig her nails so deeply into his back that beads of blood began forming.

Once more, he allowed her some time to adjust before slowly pulling almost completely out of her and then thrusting back in. She squeezed her eyes shut as a few tears leaked out while she endured the brief pain.

His thrusts became stronger. She was now panting and moaning. He guided one of her legs up, so that her knee was up against his ribs, and she immediately felt him in her more fully. She continued to hold his shoulders tightly and she pressed her face into the space between his shoulder and his neck as they rocked back and forth with the force of his thrusts.

She didn't notice how hard he bit her on the lower side of her neck when he came; he didn't notice how the gouges she had created in the flesh on his back turned into long, deep scratches that extended down to his sides when she came. He didn't notice that nearly all of the cuts and injuries he had inflicted on himself prior to this encounter had broken open and begun bleeding again, save for the cut she had stitched. All they knew was that they both felt overwhelming rushes of bliss and gratification after which they lay there in a sweating, bloodied heap.

She was trembling uncontrollably, but it still wasn't from fear. He panted against her neck, noticing the site where he had marked her with his teeth starting to bruise and ever so slightly swell. _Shit,_ he thought, _I hurt her again. _He softly began to lick at it in a therapeutic manner.

She let him tend to her for a few seconds before using her shaking hands to grasp his face and bring it to hers, where she bore into his violet eyes with her silvery gaze searchingly before kissing him deeply, and wondering what the hell she had just gotten herself into.

* * *

_Can you feel my trigger hand moving further down your back?_

_When you hide, hide inside that body._

_But just remember that when I touch you,_

_The more you shake the more you give away_

_--"Cold (But I'm Still Here)"_

* * *

**P.S. mac2, I apologize; I know you didn't want this to happen, but please don't let it deter you from further reading :)**


	12. Razorblade Kiss

**Hi everyone!!! Thanks to all those who reviewed my last chapter (hooray! I made it to over 50 reviews!!! XD)...I was really nervous about putting it up because I wasn't quite sure where everyone stood in their HidanxMariko preference. Sorry to those of you who don't like it, please don't stop reading! I'll tell you now that the rest of the story DOES NOT revolve solely around HidanxMariko and that other things will happen that have nothing to do with the pairing. **

**Another long chapter... Boo... :P**

**Story rating is returning to T. Okay, that's all, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!!! Thanks!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Razorblade Kiss" by HIM; End Credits: "Munich" by Editiors; Others:"Tearjerker" by Korn, "Always" by Saliva, "Monster" by Meg&Dia, "Right Here" by Staind, "Sin" by Nine Inch Nails**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Razorblade Kiss**_

_Every time we touch we get closer to heaven_

_And at every sunrise, our sins are forgiven_

_You on my skin, this must be the end_

_The only way you can love me is to hurt me again_

_And again_

_And again_

_And again_

_--"Razorblade Kiss"_

* * *

As she lay next to him in her bed, Mariko wondered how this had happened; she wondered how she had gone from not being able to even stand in the immortal priest's presence to sleeping with him. 

The first time, she told herself that it was nothing more than a regrettable accident. The second time, she told herself that she was still confused and hadn't been thinking clearly when he had sought her out again. But by the third and fourth times, she had a really hard time convincing herself that these encounters were accidents, especially since she had gone to find him that last time.

She wouldn't let Hidan tell any of the other Akatsuki members about their romantic trysts. She didn't think that it was anyone else's business to know, except maybe her father's, but she still wasn't speaking very freely with him.

She pondered over the circumstance which she was caught up in with him, her silver eyes on the ceiling, counting the glow-in-the-dark star stickers that she had put up there when she was younger.

She didn't love him. She had never been in love before, but she knew that what she felt for Hidan was definitely not love. She liked how he handled her; his touches, caresses, kisses and everything else that he did to her, she enjoyed.

She turned to look at him; he was on his stomach, his arms wrapped around the pillow that his head rested on. The cut that she had stitched on his shoulder was healed, but it had left a scar. She traced it lightly, smiling faintly when he twitched.

She could smell the autumny scent on him; she absolutely loved how he smelled. It had come as a slight shock to her that he didn't smell of blood, but she was glad that he didn't.

When it became clear that she wasn't going to be able to sleep any more, she carefully and quietly slid out of bed and walked over to pick up her sword from its corner. The sword had been her father's when he had been part of the ANBU Black Ops…but she didn't know that. All she knew was that it had been his and now it was hers.

She slid the sword from its casing, gently setting the scabbard on her desk, and began to work through her various stances and attacks in slow motion. She would swing the glistening blade in an arc and then bring it up in a defensive pose, pivoting back and forth on her feet. Kisame had taught her a lot about swordsmanship and he was her practice partner most of the time.

He opened his eyes slowly and when he saw that she was missing from the bed, he pushed himself up and looked over his shoulder. He grinned when he saw her, in her boy-short panties and a black cami, swinging her sword around.

He crawled out from underneath the covers and silently walked over to her. When she turned and saw him there, she smirked and slowly swung the sword at him, stopping when she had the blade to his neck.

"You gonna kill me now?" he asked tauntingly.

"Isn't a bit difficult to kill an immortal?" she replied smartly.

He ran a finger seductively along the sharp edge of the sword. "I'm sure we can think of something fun to do with it."

Quick as lightening, she flicked the blade, drawing a little bit of blood from the cut she made on his neck. He flinched slightly before giving her that evil grin. She lowered the sword and stepped close to him, licking the small trail of blood running from his neck before turning her pale, glistening stare up to his violet one.

"I don't get off on pain like you do," she murmured. _Then what the hell am I doing with him?_

* * *

"I'm not going," she said resolutely. Mariko stood in the kitchen with her father and Kisame, her arms crossed firmly across her chest, her eyes burning. 

Earlier that day, Sir Leader had spoken with Itachi and Kisame about their upcoming mission to Suna, and then implied that he wanted Mariko to go with them, just so that he could get a feel for what the girl would be like as a member of the organization.

Itachi had been reluctant to take his daughter with him - he didn't want her to turn into the criminal that he had – but Sir Leader had been insistent, and Itachi couldn't think of a good enough reason to make him change his mind.

Now, as he faced his seventeen-year-old girl, he began to wonder whether he had fought Sir Leader on this because he was looking out for Mariko's well-being, or if it had been because he didn't want to deal with the headaches that he knew she would bring with her.

"We won't be gone for long, Mariko, only a few days." Kisame chipped in.

"I don't care! I do not want to go to the desert!" she retorted.

"Maybe you'll like it there," the shark man suggested.

"I didn't even like playing in the sandbox when I was little!"

Itachi had had enough of this. "Listen, you're going because Leader said you're going. So go pack something and be ready to leave by tonight."

"And if I'm not?" she asked testily.

"Then be ready to answer to Leader," he turned and walked away.

* * *

A knock on the door snapped her out of her venomous thoughts toward her father and Sir Leader. She looked up from her bag and walked over, opening it to reveal Deidara. A smile broke out on her previously frowning face; Tobi and Deidara were the two people who could always cheer her up no matter what. 

"Hey!" she greeted him, opening the door wider so that he could come in before returning to her bag.

"Whatcha doing, un?" He asked, taking a seat on her bed and looking interestedly at the contents of her bag. "Are you finally running away?"

She snorted, "I wish! Leader is making Dad and Kisame take me on some lame mission to Suna. I really don't wanna go."

"What kind of mission is it, un?"

"The hell if I know, I wasn't at the briefing." She continued to grumble while throwing stuff in her bag, pausing to stare at the stuff she had just thrown in, then dumping the bag and starting again.

He just watched her with amused eyes.

Finally, she flung the bag down after dumping it for the fifth time. "Dammit! I don't even know what the hell to bring with me! This is so stupid!"

He chuckled and she turned her blazing eyes on him. "It's not funny." She muttered, crossing her arms and slumping down on the floor, her back against the bed.

"Yeah it is, un!" he chirped happily. But he jumped up off the bed and stood in front of her, offering his hand. "I'll help you pack, alright?"

She sighed, grabbed his hand and he pulled her up to her feet. She immediately plopped down on the bed though, her arms crossed in agitation again. Deidara just smirked at her behavior and proceeded to go through some of the things she had been packing, unpacking and repacking, tossing certain things aside while putting others neatly into her bag. Though her face still showed her displeasure, he could see her eyes watching him curiously, taking in what he put in the bag.

"There ya go, un!" Deidara said triumphantly, placing his hands on his hips as he stepped back to survey his work.

Mariko stood and inspected the bag; it contained a few clean tank tops, a pair of leggings for when it got cold at night, three pairs of shorts, a mesh shirt, pajamas and a skirt. "That's all?" she asked, amazedly.

The blond nodded. "Well, you need to pack some clean underwear, but I'll let you do that, un."

"Huh," Mariko was still amazed at how easy it was to pack once you knew what to pack.

She suddenly turned to the explosion artist, her silver eyes pleading. "Please, please, do or say something to make them let me stay here! I really don't wanna go!"

"Why are you so opposed to going, un? It's really not that bad, and I don't think the mission is that tough, un. Probably just mostly surveillance work, if I'm not mistaken."

"I don't wanna go because I don't wanna be stuck with Dad for that long! Besides, the desert is no fun! There's sand and heat and that's it!"

"Who told you that? The desert has all kinds of cool stuff in it, un!"

Mariko's gaze turned doubtful. "Oh yeah, like what?"

"Well, there's…um…there's…sand, and…"

"I knew it!" the girl wailed, "This mission is probably the lamest one and we have to go to the worst place for it! Please, PLEASE help me get out of it!" She ran to the blond and threw herself at him, grasping his hands in hers. "PLEASE!!!"

"I can't, un! If it was your dad making you go and not Leader, then I might be able to do something, but what Leader says goes, un. Sorry sweetheart, I can't help you."

She sighed dejectedly and let Deidara's hands go. She dropped her head and leaned forward, pressing the top of her ebony head into his chest, something that she had done with him ever since she was a small girl and something frustrated her.

He wrapped a comforting arm around her and simply held her for a few minutes. "It'll be fine, un," he whispered soothingly. "Just go with an open mind."

The girl whimpered miserably.

* * *

As soon as it was dark enough, Itachi, Kisame and Mariko left the hideout and began heading in the direction of the desert. They were all silent; Itachi and Mariko had nothing to say, each was still annoyed with the other, and Kisame felt awkward enough as it was being caught in the middle of the father-daughter battle. 

The journey took them the entire night and the next morning, even though they were moving at a fast pace. Itachi was secretly impressed at his daughter's stamina; he had expected her to slow them down and insist on taking lots of breaks, but thus far, she had done no such thing.

By the time they reached the village, it was early afternoon. Mariko was miserable from the heat and the sand that was sticking to her sweating body, but she still refused to complain.

Her father left them to go and check into a hotel; since they were only doing surveillance work, as Deidara had predicted, they were in their regular clothes and they were acting as normal tourists might.

Mariko stood with Kisame, leaning against a sun-baked wall, lazily watching the people pass around them in the busy village square. Suddenly, her silver eyes caught a glimpse of something that made her turn her head to stare.

It was hair. Red hair. Fiery red hair. As she looked closer, she could see that it belonged to a man who wasn't too much younger than her father…this guy was probably in his early thirties. She also noticed that he had sea-green eyes that were rimmed in black. She had never seen anyone like him before and she found that she was quite mesmerized by the sight of him.

"Wow, you catch on really quickly. Just a word of advice though, try not to make it so obvious," Kisame said behind her.

Mariko turned around. "Huh?" she said cluelessly.

"That man that you're ogling is the one that we're supposed to be keeping an eye on," the shark man responded.

"Oh," Mariko searched the crowd for him again, easily spotting his flaming hair. "Who is he?"

"That is Sabaku no Gaara, he's the Kazekage of Suna and a very powerful man."

Just then, Itachi came back. "All right, we're all set up with the hotel…what are you looking at?" He asked when he noticed his daughter's eyes focused elsewhere.

"Mariko has already found the target and is doing some intensive surveillancing," Kisame said with a trace of pride in his voice.

Itachi followed her silver gaze to where the redhead was standing, talking to some of the villagers. "Yeah, that's him alright," he muttered.

"What's so special about him?" Mariko asked as she followed Kisame and her father to their rooms. "Are we planning an assassination?"

"Not quite," Kisame responded.

When neither of the men said anything further, she asked, annoyed, "Then what?"

"Mariko, stop being so impatient. I'll tell you once we get to the room," Itachi replied coldly.

The girl huffed; _If I was on this mission with Deidara, __he__ would tell me what was going on. These two are no fun._ But she remained silent for the rest of the short walk up to the rooms that they would be using while in Suna.

The rooms were nice; she wondered how they had gotten Kakuzu to give them enough money to afford them. She had her own room with a big bed, while her father and Kisame shared the room next to hers, which had two smaller beds in it. The rooms had a set of double doors connecting them, but either side could be locked. There was also a small walk-on balcony off of each room that overlooked the village.

After throwing down her stuff and taking a lightening-quick shower, Mariko ran into her father's room. "Okay, now tell me what's going on. What are we doing here?"

"Since when did you become so eager about this mission?" Itachi asked suspiciously.

"Since I found out we're stalking a total hottie! Now tell me what I wanna know!"

Itachi rolled his eyes, but he answered Mariko's demand. "Alright, we're not planning an attack on Gaara or Suna, for that matter. We're going to be attacking Konoha soon, and we need to know where the Sand stands in their loyalty to them. That's the objective of this mission: to find out how strong of an ally Suna is to Konoha."

"That's all? How boring," she said disappointedly. "Still though, I'm happy to volunteer my eyes for watching him."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Kisame chuckled.

* * *

Night had fallen. Mariko was amazed at how cold it was when the sun went down. She was alone in the hotel; Kisame and her father had gone out, supposedly to do some work, but she had seen them heading in the direction of the gambling houses. 

She stood on her balcony, gazing out at the village below her, playing absentmindedly with her black luck beads.

She shivered slightly and was about to go back into the room when a voice stopped her.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Hidan?!" Her silver eyes flashed, finding him crouched on the balcony of the empty room next to hers. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He grinned wolfishly as he jumped over to her balcony. "I just decided to stop by; I missed you."

"You missed _me_, or you missed the sex?" she asked him sarcastically, turning and taking a few steps into her room.

"I fucking missed you, okay?" he said gathering her up in his arms so that she was facing him with her legs around him, carrying her across the room and laying her down on the bed, beginning to kiss her throat hungrily.

"You're such a liar," she whispered in his ear, catching his violet eyes with her silver ones for a moment before he pressed his lips to hers and she became lost in the kiss.

* * *

Itachi woke up the next morning with a splitting headache. He squinted as he took in his surroundings; he wasn't in his hotel room. _Where the…?_ He looked down when he felt something heavy on his arm, and his memory of the previous night came flooding back when he saw the dark-haired woman sleeping on his bare chest. 

After messing around for awhile at the gambling house and getting completely obliterated on sake, he and Kisame had thought for some reason that it would be a good idea to visit the local brothel.

Itachi scanned the room for Kisame, and saw him on the opposite side of the room, snoring loudly on a pile of flashy-colored and soft-looking pillows, several women sleeping on or next to him. The Uchiha also noticed the many empty sake bottles littering the floor.

He used his free arm to rub his eyes; the girl lying on his arm shifted in her sleep. He glanced down at her again. She was really quite pretty. He vaguely remembered choosing her the night before because of her strong resemblance to Hinata. The girl didn't have the pale Hyuuga eyes, but they were a shade of bright blue, and she had the same shiny blue-black hair that Hinata had. He had chosen this girl in the hopes that he would somehow be able to fool himself into believing that the Hyuuga heiress was there with him, even if only for a night.

He stared at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. He hadn't seen Hinata since the night Mariko was born and Kakashi had warned him to never come back. But he thought about her constantly. He wondered what her life was like now. Had she gotten married? Did she have more children? Was she happy? It was this last thought that tore at him the most.

Part of him wanted her to be happy, whatever she was doing now. That part hoped she had moved on and had a life that she loved. However, the darker part of him wasn't so generous. That part of him selfishly wanted her to still be missing him terribly, praying every day that he would come back to her. That part was the one that tried convincing him that she would never be happy without him, and in some dark, twisted way, that made him feel better.

He then remembered that Mariko was by herself at the hotel and that she would most likely be furious when she found out that he and Kisame hadn't come back last night. The last thing he needed to go along with his hangover was his daughter yelling at him like _he_ was the teenager.

Slowly, Itachi slid his arm out from under the sleeping woman and began to search for his clothes. When he had found them, he tiptoed over to where his partner was sleeping and lightly poked him in the side of the head.

Kisame groggily opened his eyes. "What…happened?" he groaned. He blinked as he looked around the room. "Oh, never mind." He said, seeing all of the sake bottles lying around.

The two Akatsuki members left the whorehouse and shuffled back to the hotel.

* * *

Mariko had woken up alone around seven-thirty when a gust of cold air, still lingering from the night, had washed over her, causing her to shiver. She had instinctively put out her arm to search for Hidan's warmth, only to find that he had gone. For some reason, she felt loneliness beginning to eat at her heart, but she quickly allowed bitterness to swell up instead. _Of course he left; why would he stay? He got what he wanted. It's not like we're in love or anything._

She had gotten dressed and had some breakfast before heading out into the streets to search for the redheaded target of their mission. She hadn't bothered to try waking her father or Kisame, because a simple glance with her Sharingan had told her that they weren't in their room anyway. She was beginning to feel like she had been abandoned; she involuntarily toyed with her luck beads, wound around her left wrist, as always.

She wandered around the village square, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the exotic city. She passed a stand where a woman was selling beautiful sheets of silk that came in at least a hundred different colors and patterns. She heard a man yelling out, advertising his supply of fresh-baked breads and other treats.

She stopped when she saw an elderly woman sitting alone behind a small stand that appeared empty, save for a dark purple velvet cloth that was spangled with gold stars draped over the surface of the stand.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but what are you selling?" Mariko asked the woman inquisitively.

The woman looked at the girl and said in a low voice, "I sell glimpses of the future and answers to the past."

_A fortune teller?_ Mariko thought. "Cool, will you read my palm or something?"

The woman bowed her white head in affirmation and beckoned for the girl to come around the side of the booth and kneel in front of her. She took Mariko's left hand in her own, flipping it over as she inspected it.

"You are a difficult one to read…you hide much about yourself and you do it very well," She continued scanning Mariko's hand, but stopped when the black luck beads came into contact with her own hand. She turned her old eyes to them, releasing the girl's hand in favor of delicately fingering the strand, bead by bead.

"You are lost, child…you feel very alone, even though you are surrounded by others. You truly love few, and I can see that even though you love a certain one, you feel resentful towards…him…your father."

Mariko nodded. "Can you tell me something about my past?" she asked.

"That would depend on what you want to know," the old woman replied.

Mariko thought for a second, touching her beads lightly, before saying, "I…I want to know who my mother is."

"I see. I do not know if I will be able to tell you everything about her, sometimes these are tricky, but I will tell you all that I find out."

Mariko nodded. Her heart pounded nervously while she stared, unblinking, as the fortune teller closed her eyes and held the luck beads in one hand and Mariko's hand in the other.

"You have very noble blood, from both sides of your family," the old woman said certainly, her eyes still closed.

"N-no…I mean, I guess I _could_ have it from my mother, for all I know, but not my dad…definitely not from him," Mariko said.

The fortune teller shook her head. "It is from both sides," she said with rigid certainty. "Two powerful clans are connected through you."

Mariko remained silent while the old woman continued. "It is in your eyes that your lineage is revealed. You have very special and unique eyes; no one else in the history of the two clans has ever had eyes like yours." The woman opened her eyes to look searchingly into Mariko's. "Tell me child, what can you do with your eyes?"

Mariko wasn't sure whether or not to reveal her Sharingan to this woman. Would she know that Uchiha Itachi was her father if she saw the girl's blood-red eyes? She was nervous, but the desire to know the identity of her mother was overwhelming, so she activated her eyes, turning them crimson.

"Ah, the Sharingan, seen only in the members of the Uchiha clan. I am assuming, based on what I know of the present state of the Uchiha clan, that your father comes from them."

Mariko nodded, quickly deactivating her eyes. "What do you mean? What 'present state' is the clan in?"

"Child, do you know nothing about your heritage?" the old woman asked. Mariko shook her head. The fortune teller sighed. "Then I shall tell you. The Uchihas were a very noble clan that resided in Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The heirs to the clan were two brothers; the elder was named Itachi and the younger was Sasuke. Uchiha Itachi was a very intelligent and very powerful young man; he was made captain of the ANBU Black Ops when he was only thirteen years old, a massive achievement for one so young.

"But something dark lived in that young man. One night, for no apparent reason whatsoever, he slaughtered his entire clan save for his brother. Then he ran off and joined an organization of criminals called the Akatsuki, and now he lives for nothing except destruction and evil."

Mariko's mouth had gone dry, but she managed to ask in a cracked voice. "What…what happened to the brother, Sasuke?"

"He still resides in Konoha. If I am not mistaken, he is the captain of the ANBU Black Ops now. He is a powerful man just like his brother. For quite some time, he was obsessed with taking his revenge on his older brother for the death of their clan; he nearly lost himself in the darkness, just like Itachi."

"So what kept him from being sucked in by it, the way his brother was?"

"It varies from story to story; some say it was a woman's unwavering love, others will say that it was his close friend, Uzumaki Naruto, his former teammate who is now part of the ANBU squad, that saved him, and still there are those who will swear that the boy simply came to the realization that living a life for the sole purpose of revenge is no way to live at all and so he just gave up his endless pursuit. Of course, that's not to say that he would not try to kill his brother, given the chance."

Mariko didn't say anything; she couldn't. Had her father really killed his entire clan…_her _clan? Did she really have an uncle who was determined to kill her father? Did he know that _she_ existed?

The fortune teller watched the girl's face as the endless questions raced through her mind.

"Now child, I know that you are of the Uchiha clan, you are the daughter of Itachi." It wasn't a question.

Mariko looked at the old woman's tanned and wrinkled face with uncertainty. But she nodded; there was no use in denying it now, the fortune teller already knew.

"Now that is interesting. Your father is a wanted man in many parts of the world, child; he is feared by many. Yet someone found it in her heart to love him and was able to earn his love as well. Oh yes, your parents were very much in love," she said, upon seeing Mariko's somewhat skeptical look. "But I cannot see her. Is there nothing more in your eyes that can help?"

Mariko shook her head solemnly. The fortune teller looked deeply into the young girl's face; she still held one of her hands and her luck beads. "It is there, deep within you. Your father knows it is there, but he will not tell you or help you to bring it out for fear that your mother will be discovered. After all this time, he protects her like she is still his."

Mariko understood. "But she's not."

The old woman shook her head slowly and looked at the younger girl with sad eyes. "I'm sorry child. But her love for you is still strong; she passed her love to you in these beads that you wear so that you will always feel it when you need it most."

Mariko's silver eyes lingered on the strand of black beads around her wrist; it was true that they _had_ always made her feel a little better when she was lonely. She looked back at the fortune teller. "Thank you," she whispered, standing up and leaving the stand, slowly making her way back towards the hotel.

She hadn't even made it to the block that the hotel was on when her father and Kisame came out of nowhere and, each of them grabbing one of her arms, turned her around and began walking her quickly away from the hotel.

"What the…?! Dad, Kisame, what the hell is going on?!" she asked in a low voice, not wanting to attract too much attention.

"We're leaving," Was all that Itachi said.

"Why?"

"Because they're getting suspicious."

"Did we complete the mission?"

"We've completed it as fully as we can; it'll have to be good enough."

* * *

Somehow, the trip from Suna back to the hideout seemed to take less time. It was very early morning when they arrived back at their home; stars were still visible in the sky. 

For the entirety of the journey home, Mariko had been plagued with questions about her mother that she wanted to ask her father, but she hadn't. From what the fortune teller said, Itachi still had feelings for her and the last thing Mariko wanted to do was to upset him by bringing her up. He would probably just get all pissed off and not talk to her anyways.

As soon as she stepped across the threshold of the front door, Mariko went to the kitchen for a glass of pineapple juice and a bagel that she found stuffed in the back of the bread box. Kisame and Itachi headed for their beds.

After pouring a glass of juice and clamping her teeth around the bagel, Mariko walked down the hallway, intent on getting to her own bed, when she heard a strange noise. She perked her head up and listened; it was very muffled, but it seemed to be coming from further down the hall. So she slowly tiptoed along the wall, listening carefully.

It stopped, so she stopped, right in front of Hidan's closed door. She listened again for it, and heard deep-voiced mumbling, followed by a sickening slick noise. She knocked very lightly on the door, not wanting to wake anyone else, before turning the doorknob and cautiously slipping inside the room.

Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she took in the scene before her, she couldn't decide between three possible reactions. One was to start shrieking loudly; two was to pass out; three was to throw up everywhere. All three seemed appropriate, but she knew that she couldn't do all of them at once, especially since her mouth was full of bagel, so she simply stood and stared, the bagel hanging out of her mouth.

Hidan was shirtless, lying face-up on his floor in a pool of his own blood and with several large daggers sticking out of him. Blood was all over the place; floor, walls, rug…everything was covered in the crimson liquid. The priest looked dead; his silver hair had scarlet streaks in it, blood ran in a small stream from the corner of his mouth and his violet eyes seemed to have none of their usual fire in them.

She took several deep breaths through her nose to help herself get over her initial shock; of course he wasn't dead, he was doing his stupid rituals. _Besides, he's immortal._ She still considered the puking option though, as she carefully stepped around blood spots so that she could bend down at the top of his head, brushing aside a long strand of hair from her eyes and peering into his blank face.

Suddenly, he blinked and grinned up at her. "Did I scare you?"

"No," she replied flatly, ripping a chunk out of her bagel as she removed it from her mouth so that she could speak.

He made a move like he was going to sit up, but winced in pain and glanced down at his abdomen; there was a very large knife sticking out of it. "Think you could help me out?" He nodded towards it.

She rolled her eyes, swallowing another bite of bagel. "I shouldn't; if you can get it in there, you should be able to get it back out." But she straightened and walked over to his side. She set her glass of juice on the floor – away from any blood puddles – and clamped her bagel in her teeth again. She stood so that one foot was on either side of him. She took a firm hold of the knife handle and mercilessly yanked up on it.

He gave a small grunt of pain as the blade slid from his abdominal cavity; she had given it a nasty little twist at the end. She held it up, inspecting it with her silver eyes while he sat up, grabbing an old bloodstained towel from the floor to press to his gaping wound.

"You're sick, do you know that?" Mariko said as she dabbed at the corner of Hidan's bleeding mouth with her sleeve, dropping the knife and chewing off another piece of bagel.

The Jashinist just flashed his white teeth in a grin and replied, "You know you like it."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, I just think it's sooooo sexy when you're impaling yourself and bleeding out all over the place; you're just irresistible." She took a swig of her juice.

"You're fucking right I am!"

She stuck out her tongue at him. "No you're not."

He wiped fresh blood from his mouth and reached out, grabbing the juice from her hand.

"Tha hell?!" she protested, watching with angered eyes as he proceeded to drain the contents of the glass at once.

"I'm recovering from injuries, I need nutrients," he explained, as though it were perfectly logical, calmly handing the glass back to her.

"I don't give a shit if you were just run over by a damn train! You do all this to yourself; you can drag your lazy ass to the kitchen and get your own damn juice!"

"But it's so much easier to just take yours," he said, lying back with his arms crossed behind his head contentedly.

"I should kick you in the ribs for that," Mariko muttered darkly.

He reached up again, but this time he grabbed the back of the girl's knees, causing them to buckle and making her fall so that she was sitting on him in a straddling position. She reached out and gave him an open-handed smack on his bare chest.

"Ow! What the fuck?!" he yelled, sitting up once more.

"Don't do that! I almost lost my bagel in the gross unsanitarity that is your room."

It was his turn to roll his violet eyes. "You're such a fucking baby."

"Oh, really? If I remember correctly, you're the one who just cried 'cause I gave you a little smack."

"That fucking hurt! And it wasn't a 'little' smack at all, you left a fucking mark!"

Sure enough, there was a hand-shaped red mark where she had hit him. She giggled evilly; he pouted.

"Awww...poor baby, did you get a boo-boo?" she said to him in a babying voice. "Do you need me to kiss it better for you?"

The frown on his face dispersed quickly when she leaned in and began softly kissing the reddened area on his chest. He lifted his head to look down at her when she started slowly kissing further down his chest, then his abs. He watched her intently as she paused to undo his pants and slide them down.

Her silver eyes glittered provocatively as she took him in her hands first, pumping him slowly but effectively, she noticed, watching him as he groaned and closed his eyes.

Hidan cracked one eye open when he felt her shift; he was convinced that she was going to take him in her mouth next. However, Mariko had different plans as she rocked back onto her knees, then stood up, towering over him once more. He now had both violet eyes opened fully and was looking up at her with confusion.

"Right, well I'm gonna go catch some sleep. I'm pretty tired," she said, her silver eyes dancing playfully.

"Are you fucking serious?!" he said.

She nodded, beginning to head for the door. He quickly jumped up and ran over to the door, throwing his back against it so that she couldn't leave and was forced to face him.

"You can't just fucking come in here, get me all worked up and then walk out!" he said irately.

"Oh yeah? Watch me," She said smartly, walking forward like she expected him to move out of her way and open the door for her.

Which of course he didn't do. But what he did do was grab her around the waist and hoist her up over his shoulder, carry her to his bed, gently toss her down on it, crawl on top of her and begin to work on her body with his skilled hands in the way he knew she liked it: not too harsh, but a little bit rough.

It was too much for her to resist; not only did he know just how to hit those good spots, but she was just too tired to refuse to give in to him, even in a playful and seductive manner. However, she still had a little fight left in her.

"I don't love you, you know," she said, a slight moan chasing after her words as he lifted her top and took one of her nipples in his mouth.

He lifted his head to smirk at her. "Perfect. We're on the same page, then." He went back to work on her breasts.

His response bothered her though. She realized that she had secretly been hoping that he would have said he loved her, or at least been a little upset that she didn't love him.

_Whatever, it's not a big deal; I don't really care_, she said to herself, wrapping her legs around him tightly and lifting his face to hers, not even caring that there was blood in their kiss.

* * *

_People are fragile things, you should know by now_

_Be careful what you put them through_

_People are fragile things, you should know by now_

_You'll speak when you're spoken to_

_--"Munich"_


	13. The Howling

**Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter (a long one :P) for all of you wonderful people! I hope you like it and that some of your questions are answered!!! **

**R&R please!!! And enjoy! Thanks!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "The Howling" by Within Temptation; End Credits: "Annihilation" by A Perfect Circle; Others: "Jillian" by Within Temptation, "Davy Jones" by Hans Zimmer, "Scream" by Avenged Sevenfold, "Evolution" by Korn**

_**

* * *

**_

_**The Howling**_

_When we start killing it all will be falling down_

_From the Hell that we're in_

_All we are is fading away_

_When we start killing_

_--"The Howling"_

* * *

Mariko was lying on her stomach on Hidan's bed. He was on his knees, straddling her midsection from behind. He had a calligraphy brush in his hand and was delicately putting the finishing touches on a giant, snarling tiger that was gracefully climbing down her spine, its tail curled around her right shoulder blade. 

"There," he said satisfactorily, finishing the last stripe on the tiger's body and blowing softly on it so that it would dry.

"I wanna see," she said, pushing herself up and knocking the priest to the side so that she could get off the bed and walk over to the full-length mirror to admire the work he'd done.

Hidan followed her to the mirror, standing back while she looked over her shoulder at the painting. After a few seconds, he moved closer to her, putting his hands on her hips; she turned so that they were both facing the mirror. She tilted her head so that the side of her forehead was against his chin, she wound her arm up and around his neck and twisted a piece of his pale silken hair between her fingers.

He moved his hands from her hips so that one was resting on her abdomen and the other was gently caressing her neck.

They stared at their reflection; she smirked to herself, noticing the way that they sharply contrasted one another. His platinum hair and deep, violet eyes were almost the perfect opposite of her jet hair and silver eyes.

She turned to face him again, kissing him fully on the mouth before gently pulling away from him and walking to the side of the bed, taking up the calligraphy brush before sitting.

"Come here, I wanna do you now," She dipped the brush in the pot of ink while she waited for him to come to her.

He took the place that she had been in earlier and she took his former position, which meant that she was sitting on his lower back.

She began to make strokes with the brush, leaving black marks on his skin. Soon, the lines began to come together in the form of a shark. It was a more artsy version though, instead of giving it the typical sharp features that sharks had, she made its tail fin a little flowier and gave it a somewhat softer expression. Its spine was arched as it reared up out of the waves she had painted.

"Done," she said, setting the calligraphy brush aside.

"What is it?" he asked her, his violet eyes trying to catch a glimpse of what she had marked him with.

"Get up and look, lazy ass."

The immortal priest rolled his eyes and with one push of his powerful arms was up on his hands and knees. Mariko squeaked in surprise, grabbing his shoulders to keep herself from falling, and ending up in a horseback-riding position. She quickly "dismounted" him, sitting on her knees in the mess of sheets and blankets, watching him with her pale eyes as he took his turn at the mirror.

"Hm, not bad, I guess," he said as he returned to her.

"What do you mean 'not bad'? It's awesome!" she protested.

"It's not bad," he said again, leaning down to kiss her.

"You're annoying," she said softly.

"And you're difficult," he replied, finishing the kiss.

* * *

"Mariko, Leader wants to see you." 

The girl held her position; her fingers were linked behind her head, her knees were bent and her abdominal muscles were tightly constricted. But she paused in her sit-ups to look up at Kakuzu, who was standing in her doorway.

"Really?" Sir Leader had never asked to speak to her; if he wanted a message to get to her, he usually relayed it through someone else and even that was a rare occasion.

She stood up and wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead, threw on a tank top over her sports bra and followed Kakuzu down the hallway.

He took her to a darkened room and said, "Sir Leader, here is the Uchiha girl." Then he left her standing, alone and unsure about what she was doing there.

She watched his retreating form until he closed the door of the room, immersing her in almost total darkness. She got the creepy feeling that she wasn't alone in the room; the fact that Kakuzu had addressed Leader made her certain of it.

She was going to just let her eyes adjust to the darkness on their own, but after hearing a particularly spine-chilling creak on the floorboards, she decided to activate her Sharingan. She just about had a heart attack when she picked up a strong chakra flow practically right in front of her.

"Not bad, but I was hoping that you would have thought to turn those eyes on sooner," came a smooth and venomous-sounding voice. "Still, better late than never, I suppose."

From what she had heard from the other Akatsuki members, Sir Leader never actually showed himself when he met with them; she had a hard time believing that he would show up in person to talk to _her_. But she felt like she needed to play it cool and not act surprised or shocked by anything that he might say or do.

She cleared her throat. "Kakuzu said you wanted to see me Sir Leader."

"Yes," he went on. "I wanted to speak to you in person about an upcoming mission that I want you to join the other members on."

"Fine, but can we at least talk face-to-face, like normal adults do?" she asked smartly.

Even with her Sharingan activated, he moved too quickly for her to follow, and the next thing she knew, her throat was being constricted in the grip of a powerful hand.

She felt his hot breath on her face as he whispered fiercely in her ear. "I realize that you're used to being able to mouth off to your father and the others, but I will not tolerate it. Consider this your first and last warning." He released her, and she began inhaling huge breaths of air and rubbing her bruised throat.

Once she had regained her composure and was sure that she could speak in her normal voice again, she asked, "So what's the mission?"

"You and the others are going to go to Konoha," he began.

Remembering the Suna fortune teller's words about her father's history in Konoha, that her uncle lived there now, and the strong feeling she had that Konoha held answers to the identity of her mother, Mariko's ears perked up. But she didn't want to make her excitement too obvious to the menacing and shadow-shrouded man before her.

"And what are we supposed to be doing in Konoha?" she asked, her voice even.

"You are retrieving something for me…a sword, to be exact," Came Leader's voice. Mariko could see from his chakra flow that he was now slowly making a circle around her; like a predator stalking prey.

"A sword? Can't you just get one made or something?" Mariko inwardly cursed herself for her interrogative question and expected Leader to immediately strike out at her.

"No," he replied smoothly, "Not a sword like the one you are going to fetch for me. It's very special…"

The girl wanted to press him for more information, but she figured that it would be unwise, considering the already rocky footing she was on with him.

"Is the whole organization going on this mission?" she asked instead.

"Yes, unfortunately, Konoha takes their security very seriously, especially since the last raid that we did ended with several casualties and plenty of damage on their side." Pein paused, remembering the night. The night the girl had been born.

Mariko nodded compliantly. "Where is the sword being kept?"

"In the Hokage tower; there is a room filled with artifacts and other valuables that the village keeps. You could almost call it a museum of sorts."

Mariko listened intently, nodding in understanding when appropriate. Finally, Leader finished briefing her on what she was expected to do and dismissed her.

He watched her as she retreated from the room; she was very much like Itachi, both in looks and attitude, but there was something else there. It was hidden, crushed deep down inside of her; he doubted if she even knew it existed. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but some gut instinct told him that if it was ever discovered, he would run the risk of losing the girl. That was something that he did not want to happen, after all, two Uchihas were better than one.

* * *

She had burst out in peals of uncontrollable laughter when she saw him. Hidan frowned, he saw nothing humorous about his appearance; he thought that the black and white paint on his body made him look quite frightening. 

"You…" she gasped, holding her side as she laughed hysterically, "You look…like…you're going…trick or treating!!!"

"Well I'm fucking not!" he growled, shouldering his scythe.

"I know…" she giggled, wiping tears from her eyes, "But you look like you are. Anyways, I need to borrow some of that paint."

"What?! Are you being fucking serious?! You make fun of me and then you expect me to let you use my shit?! I don't think so!"

Mariko rolled her eyes. "Quit your bitching, you're giving me a headache," She moved around him, beginning to search his room for the object of her desire. "Aha!" she exclaimed when she found the black tube.

The now-black-skinned priest made a move to grab the paint from her hands, but she pulled out of his reach. "Stop! I need to look fearsome too!" She leapt out of arms length from him again, ran out of his room and into hers, slamming and locking the door.

She went into the bathroom and began to work on her appearance with the paint.

Hidan was still fuming out in the hallway when Mariko finally opened her door. She had on her black leather pants, one of her Akatsuki cloud tank tops with racerback straps and her black boots. Her jet hair was tied back in its usual place at the base of her neck, except for the two pieces that fell on either side of her face, and her nails were painted blood red. Her black luck beads were in their usual place around her left wrist. Her father's old sword was tied around her waist and to top it all off, she had used the stolen black paint to make designs around her eyes that looked like large black spikes coming off the corner of her eyes. The black really made the silver in her eyes stand out.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"Very, very scary," he replied in a low voice that she had come to know as his "sarcastic-seductive" voice.

"I'm serious!" she exclaimed. "This is my first super-serious mission, I need to look good! If I look stupid, you had better tell me!"

"Of course I would," he reassured her. "Now give me back my black paint."

Now that her objective had been achieved, Mariko handed over the tube of paint without hesitation. "Is everyone else ready yet?" she questioned.

Hidan shrugged his coal-black shoulders. "I don't fucking know. They shouldn't take that long to get ready; it's just one of those in-and-out missions, we don't have to pack or anything."

The girl and the priest decided to wait for the others in the den, where they could at least watch TV to amuse themselves while they waited. Well, Hidan managed to amuse himself, but Mariko's thoughts were running wild with her.

They were going to Konoha. Her uncle - Sasuke? – was there; was her mother there too? If she was, would she know her when she saw her? Didn't mothers have that weird instinct where they know their children even if they haven't seen them in a long time, or the child's appearance has changed? The thought of meeting her blood relatives made her nervous.

When she was very small, she was never even aware that most children had a family that consisted of a mother, a father, siblings and grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. She knew that she had a father and lots of "uncles", and since she didn't know any better, she assumed that all families were just like hers.

It wasn't until she was a little bit older and was able to truly grasp the concept that she realized that her family was missing members. The first time she had asked Itachi about the whereabouts of her mother, she was four. He had simply told her that she didn't have one; she'd accepted his answer at the time. But when she was five, she'd asked him again. That time, he didn't tell her she didn't have a mother, he told her instead that her mother was gone, which she didn't really understand. So she had turned instead to Deidara, who told her that she had a mother, but he knew nothing about her; none of the other Akatsuki members did. She had gone on to interrogate all of them anyway, but had come no closer to discovering the truth. Finally, she gave up; no one knew anything about her mother but her father, and he wasn't telling her anything.

The rest of the organization members filed in one by one. They were all decked out in their cloaks and had their special weapons ready. Deidara looked at Mariko and smiled.

"You look good, un! Very fearsome!"

"Really? Thanks!" she smiled in reply.

Itachi didn't say anything, just gave his daughter a once-over and turned away.

"Let's go," he said monotonously, leading the way out of the door and into the forest.

* * *

It was nearly sunset when they stopped. Mariko was a little confused; they were still in the forest, there wasn't even a village in sight. She whispered this observation to Sasori. 

"We're waiting for it to get dark; the edge of the forest isn't far and the village is just beyond that."

Mariko thought that if she had to wait any longer to get to the village and find answers to her family's identity, she was going to go crazy. Knowing that she was so close to the village made it even worse.

While the male members of the group made themselves comfortable on the ground or in the trees if they were on lookout duty, Mariko paced back and forth between the trees anxiously, her silver eyes turning in the direction that she knew the village was.

She was so busy controlling her urge to just sprint down to Konoha right then, that she didn't even notice Hidan standing in her way until she ran into him.

"Ow," she groaned, rubbing the side of her face, "For Kami's sake, Hidan, watch where the hell you're going!" she whispered fiercely.

He had an amused look on his face. "If I'm not mistaken, _you_ ran into _me_, girly. Maybe _you_ should watch where the hell you're going."

She was in no mood for his smart-ass remarks; she put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently. "What do you want?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, but his violet eyes were alight with an all-too-familiar spark. "I dunno. I just figured that since we had a couple hours to kill, you and I could…you know, go for a walk or something?"

Mariko ceased her foot-tapping. "Are you serious?!" she whispered heatedly, "Right now, in the forest?! You have got to be joking! Besides, I'm kinda busy trying to concentrate on this mission, I don't have time for that."

"No joke," he replied. "Besides, you're taking this way too seriously; you need to relax, and that's where I can help." He moved closer to her, causing her to take a step back.

"Well, I'm not kidding either when I said not right now," she took another step backwards when he continued advancing on her, but stopped when her back hit a tree trunk.

"Aw, come on, just a little quickie," he whispered, "I promise to be quiet so no one else will hear." He reached out, stroking her cheek with a black-coated finger.

She stiffened slightly at his touch, something that she hadn't done for quite some time. He began to slowly lean in, but froze when he heard a voice.

"Hey! Pretty boy! It's time to switch lookout shifts; you're up, un."

Mariko's sigh of relief was audible when she heard Deidara's voice; Hidan looked at her with a small degree of annoyance. She glared back at him defiantly. He straightened, grabbing his scythe and slinging it over his shoulder as he passed the explosion artist.

"You're one to talk about being a pretty boy, fucking freak," he seethed venomously, before continuing on.

Deidara and Mariko merely looked at each other for a few seconds; neither knew what to say to the other. Unable to hold his eyes any longer, Mariko let hers fall to the ground as she walked quickly by him.

* * *

The girl went to sit at the base of a large tree on a tiny hill. She sighed miserably. For some reason, she felt ashamed of herself for being caught with Hidan by Deidara. _Probably because I've always told him everything, and Hidan and I have been sneaking around for how long now?_ But she knew that she wouldn't have felt the same shame if anyone else, including her father, had seen what Deidara just had. 

Deidara had always looked out for and taken care of her, ever since before she could remember. He had done his best to protect her after her scarring experience with Hidan when she was thirteen, and he had always worked hard to make her feel better whenever she needed it.

Mariko realized that she felt so bad because Deidara was the one that she could always rely on and trust. He even surpassed Itachi, her father, in trustworthiness. The blond had never done anything that wasn't in her best interest or that harmed her in any way. And she felt that by sneaking around with Hidan, she was betraying Deidara's trust. He had worked so hard to protect her from the man who had hurt her so deeply, and she had been secretly screwing him.

"I'm the worst person ever," she mumbled to herself.

"I highly doubt that," said a cold voice behind her.

She whipped around, her hand on her sword hilt. But she relaxed when her eyes recognized her father's form leaning against the tree next to hers; she hadn't seen or heard him.

"You're not a bad person at all Mariko," Itachi went on.

She snorted. "Yeah right. I was raised by criminals, how good can I be?" She let her head fall dejectedly.

Itachi considered the words of his next comment and whether or not he should say them. He figured that they wouldn't hurt and they might help a little bit, so he said, "You're not a bad person, because you're your mother's daughter, and she is probably the best person that I've ever known."

Mariko's head lifted at this remark. "Who…?" She began, but her father cut her off, walking closer to her.

"Please don't ask me to tell you who she is; it doesn't really matter right now."

The silver-eyed girl looked into his blood-red eyes pleadingly. "Dad, please. I know you don't like to talk about her, but I don't know why. It's not fair to ask me to not question you about her. She's my _mother _and I know nothing; I don't know her name, what she looks like, how old she is. I don't know what her voice sounds like, I don't know her favorite song, and I don't know why she left me."

"She didn't leave you; I took you and we left her," Itachi replied.

"Why though? Didn't she want me?"

The elder Uchiha kneeled in front of the younger, effectively capturing and holding her gaze. "She wanted to keep you more than anything; she loved you with all of her heart before you were even born."

"Then why didn't she keep me?" Mariko's voice wasn't resentful or angry, just sad and confused.

"She…it…it was complicated," he stammered, "Plus, she was so young; she was a year younger than you are now when you were born."

Mariko hadn't known that her mother was so young. She figured that she wasn't very old; she had done the math and knew that her father had barely been twenty-two when she had been born, so she couldn't imagine that her mother was far from the same age. But apparently, she had been quite a bit younger than her father.

"Is she still there?"

"Where?"

"In Konoha."

Itachi didn't know how Mariko had figured out that her mother was from Konoha, but he decided that it was better for him not to ask. "I don't know." He replied.

Mariko sighed and tilted her head slightly so that she could look past him and into the trees that eventually opened up onto the village that held her history.

Itachi followed her gaze. "Please don't go looking for her; you need all of your focus on this mission, Leader didn't send all of us just for the hell of it. It's really dangerous. Once they figure out that we're there, they'll send everyone: ANBU, Jounin, Chunin…everyone. We're going to have our hands full, and I'll be able to concentrate more if I know that you're not running around searching for your mother." He looked at his daughter's face again. "So promise me that you won't go off hunting for her."

"I…" How could he ask her for such a thing? How could he take her to the village where her mother lived and expect her to not go looking for her? How unfair! But then she looked at him and saw the desperation in his normally cold eyes. He was _begging_ her, in the only way he knew, not to go. He didn't want to risk losing her. She knew that despite his unorthodox way of showing it, he really did love her and he wanted to keep her safe.

"Alright," she whispered, "I promise."

* * *

They waited until the moon had risen high in the sky before slowly picking their way through the forest towards the village. The group paused on the top of the gentle slope of open space that ran from the edge of the trees down to the village. There were few lights on in the homes of Konoha. 

Itachi gently took Mariko's shoulder and leaned in to whisper as he pointed to a tall building towards the center of the village. "That's the Hokage tower; that's where we have to go."

Mariko nodded understandingly.

"Ready?" he asked the entire group.

He was met with affirmative replies. Mariko sneaked a glance at Hidan; he had a malicious grin on his face as he eyed the peaceful village below them.

"Mariko?" She looked up at her father, nodded and slowly drew her sword.

The group began their ascent on the quietly sleeping villagers of Konoha.

* * *

Hinata had just finally gotten her wild children to sleep. She plopped heavily down on the couch, exhausted. She let her head fall back onto the armrest as she sighed, kicking off her shoes. Naruto was at some secret ANBU meeting or whatever…she didn't really know the details, she just knew that Sasuke had come by earlier to tell him that he was needed. 

After they had left, Hachi, Sayuri and Jiro had proceeded to fly through the house playing ninja for about three straight hours. Hachi was excited because he had just recently started learning jutsus at the ninja academy, and he was eager to impress his younger siblings with his "skills". Apparently, merely being able to conjure up a few water droplets was enough to make him a ninja master. But Sayuri and Jiro had been astounded and amazed at their older brother's expertise.

She couldn't believe how big her kids were already; it seemed like just yesterday that they were little babies, small enough to catch and carry with ease. Now Hachi was eleven, Sayuri was nine and Jiro was five.

Keiji, Neji and Tenten's son was also eleven and was showing the same talents that his parents had. The boy had his mother's chocolate-colored hair and his father's pale Hyuuga eyes.

Hinata didn't know how Kiba and Ino managed their brood of four, who were all about five times wilder than her own children. Tama, their oldest girl was already fourteen and turning out to be a very pretty girl, with dark hair and her mother's blue eyes; Suoh, their oldest son at age thirteen, was the spitting image of his father, right down to the red stripes on his cheeks; their twins, a boy named Yukio and a girl named Mai, were Sayuri's age and her best friends.

Sasuke and Sakura's two boys, Kai and Zatoichi, were quite remarkable. Kai was fifteen and had recently achieved Jounin status. His father had trained him well and was grooming him to join him on the ANBU squad before he turned sixteen. The dark-haired, green-eyed boy was also the object of Inuzuka Tama's affections, which amused Hinata; Ino had been after Sasuke in their younger years, now her daughter was after his son.

The relationship between Sasuke and his thirteen-year-old son, Zatoichi, wasn't quite as strong. Although Sasuke often worked with his younger son and took pride in him, he was more focused on Kai.

Sakura had confessed to Hinata that she didn't like it, saying that it was all too similar to how Sasuke and Itachi had been raised, with the pressure being on Itachi and Sasuke never being good enough, and everyone knew how that had turned out. It frightened her how similar Kai and Itachi were; they were both exceedingly talented and far surpassed their peers in abilities, they had both been hard-pressed by their fathers and had high expectations to meet. Hinata had done her best to reassure her friend, saying that Kai and Itachi weren't the same person and that Kai was a good son and brother.

However, these discussions of Itachi caused Hinata to think of him. She wondered where he was right now, where Mariko was.

Her eyelids slowly began to drop, and she was just about to drift off to sleep when she was jolted awake by a loud explosion coming from somewhere outside.

She leaped off the couch and sprinted to the front door, opening it and standing in the doorway to peer out into the streets. Apparently, the blast had come from the center of town, near the Hokage tower. That's where Naruto was! She began to feel a slight panic threatening to overtake her, but she was able to crush it down when her three children came running to her side in their pajamas.

"Mom! What was that?!" Hachi asked, his eyes wide.

Sayuri had Jiro's hand in her own, and Hinata kneeled down, drawing all three children close to her.

"I'm not sure what is was, but I want you three to go and wait in the living room for a little while, alright? And no games right now; I just need you to sit quietly and read stories or something. Hachi, I'm trusting you to keep an eye on your brother and sister."

Hachi, obviously proud of his responsibility, immediately took charge of the younger two, herding them into the living room and making them sit on the couch, while perching himself vigilantly on the armrest.

Hinata took a few small steps outside of her door, squinting in the direction that the explosion had come from. She saw smoke starting to billow up and the faint glow of flames.

Although their house wasn't right in the center of the village, they were close enough for Hinata to worry about the fire spreading to her home if it wasn't put out soon. She ran back inside and yelled for her kids to get their jackets and shoes on, barely managing to keep control of her voice. She would take them to her father's, they would be safe there.

She scooped Jiro up in her arms and after scribbling a quick note to Naruto, just in case he returned to check on them, she exited the house, with Sayuri and Hachi following her closely, their hands linked.

By the time she had dropped off her kids – Keiji was also there, along with Hanabi, who had come to help with the kids – and made it back towards the center of town, smoke and flames were everywhere. There had been several more explosions, and she knew that by now, ANBU, Jounin and Chunin would have been summoned.

She caught the word "Akatsuki" when dashing past a fleeing elderly couple, and her heart caught in her throat. Were the Akatsuki here? That meant that Itachi was with them, and if he was here, then was Mariko here too?

She continued pressing forward, with a feeling both hopeful and dreading.

* * *

After the first bomb went off, the ANBU had come flooding out of the Hokage tower, followed by teams of Jounin and then the Chunin had shown up. Mariko had felt little nervous flutters in her stomach as she prepared her sword for her first strike, but after taking several opponents down, she began to feel more comfortable with it. 

Her group members were all preoccupied with Konoha ninja; Sasori was going against two Jounin with his puppets, Hidan was swinging his scythe with a fierce intensity, Deidara was making his bombs and throwing them every which direction. She heard screams as Kisame's Samehada made contact with his opponents, and she saw a menacing grin on his face. Itachi was moving with unbelievable speed, easily darting and dodging around the Leaf Village ninja and dealing out deadly blows as they came at him.

Mariko had activated her Sharingan and was locked in battle with a Jounin who had reddish hair and was trying to perform some hand signs. One swing from Mariko's sword put an end to any hand-signing he might try to do in the future.

She spun around, swinging her sword in a series of arcs and thrusts at an alarming speed. She wasn't much for chopping off limbs, like Hidan, she would just inflict painful and crippling cuts, sending blood flying in spurts.

She had seen Tobi and Zetzu sneaking off from the battle, presumably to go for the object of their mission. She flicked her sword, leaving a deep slice in the chest of a blond-haired Chunin, blood spraying out, leaving crimson droplets on her face.

"WE'VE GOT IT!!!" She heard Tobi's voice ring out through the din of raised voices, metal on metal, explosions and the pounding blood in her ears.

Mariko involuntarily turned to look in the direction of the masked man, not noticing a spiky brown-haired Jounin making a hand sign behind her.

"Let's go!" Itachi roared above the clamor.

One-by-one, the Akatsuki members fell back, retreating towards the woods. Mariko was about to take off after them…but found that she couldn't move. She looked up and saw that the spiky-haired Jounin was standing right in front of her, staring her down.

She growled angrily and struggled with all her might to move her feet, but it was no use; she was firmly rooted to the spot.

"You can't break it," said the Jounin in a lazy drawl; Mariko's eyes burned fiercely. "It's my Shadow Possession Jutsu; I control your movements now, little girl." A smirk crossed his face and in her rage, Mariko wanted to run over there and cut his smiling head right off. But she couldn't; she was frozen.

Suddenly, someone caught her eye. A woman, who had obviously been running, skidded to a stop and stared at her, with her mouth slightly agape. Mariko's red eyes, the only part of her that she still had control over, flickered in her direction when she heard the woman whisper her name in astonishment. But then she felt a blunt impact on the back of her skull and everything went black.

* * *

The group stopped running when they were two miles away from the village. 

Tobi held up a shiny, polished wooden sword scabbard triumphantly. Hidan walked over and snatched it away from him, roughly – and unnecessarily – pushing the orange-faced man down. He was about to begin inspecting it, when it was yanked from his hands by Kisame, who also landed a harsh hit on the priest.

"What the fuck?!" Hidan snarled.

"Oh sorry, I thought that we were supposed to hit whoever we took it from," Kisame said smartly.

"Fuck off."

The shark man just flashed his sharp teeth in reply, proceeding to make his own inspection of the sword that had been retrieved.

"Where's Mariko?"

The entire group fell silent before looking around at the faces present.

"She was just behind us, wasn't she?"

"When did someone last see her?"

"I know she heard us say we were leaving, un."

"Waaah! Where's Mariko?!?"

"Shut up, Tobi! Someone might hear us!"

"We have to go back for her, un! She could be in trouble!"

"We can't right now. We have to get back to the hideout and get this to Leader. We'll come back for her when we're better rested."

"We can't just leave her, un!"

"We're not leaving her! She knows we'll come back for her! Now, let's go!"

Deidara looked back in the direction that they had just come from with uncertainty; but he followed his group members.

Itachi glanced back over his shoulder. "Look after her Hinata." He whispered.

* * *

_Power, power_

_The law of the land_

_Those living for death_

_Will die by their own hand_

_--"Annihilation"_

* * *

**-Gasp!- Uh-oh! What's gonna happen??? I don't know! Well, okay, actually I do, but I'm not telling right now, haha! ;P Anyways, feel free to leave suggestions, speculations, compliments or flames in review form! Thanks all!!! **


	14. Do What You Have To Do

**Alright everyone, here's the next chapter! Sorry for keeping you in suspense for so long; school is super busy, plus, it was my roomie's 21st birthday this past weekend, so let's just say that I wasn't really "coherent" enough to get any writing done. I tried though :D **

**Thanks so much to everyone who has been reviewing this story for me! I love hearing from all of you! My goal is to have over 100 reviews by the end of the story, and I'm not doing too badly, but if you help me make that goal, I will love you forever! So don't forget to let me know your thoughts and reactions when you finish reading.**

**Enjoy the chapter!!! **

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Do What You Have To Do" by Sarah McLachlan; End Credits: "Atwa" by System of a Down; Others: "Attack" by 30 Seconds to Mars, "Telescope Eyes" by Eisley**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Do What You Have To Do**_

_What ravages of spirit conjured this temptuous rage?_

_Created you a monster; broken by the rule of love._

_And fate has led you through it,_

_You do what you have to do_

_--"Do What You Have To Do"_

* * *

She opened her eyes slowly. Her head was throbbing, making her vision blurry for a few seconds. She wanted to rub her bruised skull, but found that she couldn't. Only then did she notice that her arms were suspended above her head by her wrists, which were encased in shackles.

She glanced around the darkened room she was in, taking in the barred doorway, the cold stone floor and the various other sets of shackles and restraining devices bolted to the gray walls. She smirked to herself; she was in a prison.

Ideas of possible ways to escape were running through her head, but they all seemed a little unrealistic, after all, she didn't have much to work with; they had taken her sword. She figured that the best thing to do would be to wait and see what they had planned for her.

So she contented herself with swinging back and forth from her chains, and pacing in as wide of circles as her restraints would allow, which wasn't very big at all.

It wasn't until later – she guessed around one or two in the afternoon, based on the slant of the sunrays on the floor – that she saw any other sign of life.

It was one of those guys in the silver and black uniforms…ANBU Black Ops, her father had called them. She stared as he descended the staircase, masking her curiosity with a blank expression.

The man who came in looked like he was about thirty odd years old; he had really long dark brown hair and pale eyes and he wore a very serious expression on his face. Mariko had to admit that he was pretty good looking for an old guy; but she still kept her face impassive.

He proceeded to unlock the door of her cell and walk until he was standing right in front of her. He was taller than she was, so she tilted her head up to meet his intense stare.

"What's your name, girl?" he asked her, his voice calm and strong.

She didn't answer him; he didn't seem surprised.

"What's your name?" he repeated the question, this time, casually pulling a kunai from his belt pouch and nonchalantly inspecting it.

She couldn't help smirking at his actions; if he was trying to threaten her, he was doing a terrible job.

He had caught her fleeting grin from the corner of his pearly eye and he pressed the kunai sharply to her throat while whispering fiercely into her ear, "You think this is a joke?! Do not think, for one second, that I will hesitate to kill you."

That thought hadn't entered Mariko's head at all, but a thought that _did_ come to mind at that point was: _Dude, get the hell away from me._ And before the ANBU guy could open his mouth to make another threat, Mariko had lifted her leg and given a forceful kick, which landed right in his stomach.

The air left his body in a whoosh, and he took a few staggering steps backward, clutching his abdomen. Mariko smiled smugly; that would teach him.

ANBU guy lifted his head; his eyes were glowing with anger. "You bitch!" he snarled, coming at her again with the kunai lifted, "I'll make it so that you can never use that leg again!"

She was all ready to take him on again, but they were interrupted by the scraping of the prison door and a voice. "Oy! Neji! Hokage wants to see you!"

_Neji, huh? I'll remember that name._

Neji seemed upset by the disruption; Mariko simply glowered at him. The ANBU turned and stormed out of the cell, easily taking the stairs. The girl noticed that he stopped to whisper something to the one who had come to get him before leaving.

The new guy looked down at her after Neji was gone.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" she snapped. All that time with Hidan was beginning to rub off on her.

The guy rushed out of the prison, closing the door loudly and leaving Mariko alone once more. However, it didn't last long. He soon returned with three other ANBU members, and they all made their way down to her cell.

She tensed up, readying her legs to deal out harsh kicks to whoever got too close. But she didn't get a chance to lash out at them, because two of them rushed forward, each seizing one of her legs. She began to thrash wildly, like a fish on a hook, twisting and contorting her body while using all of her lower body strength to try and dislodge the men on her legs.

A third ANBU came and wrapped his strong arms around her middle, steadying her, while the fourth one came forward and lifted the cuffs of a set of shackles that were bolted to the ground at her feet. He put them around her shins, right above her ankles. The other three had released her then, jumping back like they had been restraining a wild tiger instead of a seventeen-year-old girl.

Apparently, they were quite pleased with themselves and the success of their "conquest", for they began patting each other on the shoulder, smiling and saying stupid things like "Good job" to one another. Mariko rolled her eyes; _what idiots!_

One of them was a little too brave; he stepped forward, his face very close to Mariko's, and said, "Hey, she's kinda cute!" He lifted a finger, presumably to stroke her cheek or something equally repulsive, but he never got that far, because Mariko lunged forward and clamped her teeth around his extended appendage.

The guy yelled, and began to hit her in the face, trying to make her let go, but she held on like a pit bull. She finally grew tired of hearing the guy's annoying screams of pain, so she gave the finger a nasty wrench and then let go, sure that she had broken it. The dumb guy stumbled backwards, cradling his injured hand.

Two of the other guys rushed to his aid, while the last one strode purposefully over to the bound girl and dealt her such a powerful back-handed blow to the face that she saw stars and her vision became foggy.

She held on to her consciousness just long enough to see the four ANBU idiots leave the prison; then she let the blackness take her.

* * *

She hadn't gone straight back to her father's house for her children after the retreat of the Akatsuki; instead, she'd gone to her spot in the forest, by the lake. She was still in shock over what she had seen.

She _knew_ that it was Mariko that had been fighting with that sword, who else could it be? The girl was the same age, had the same black hair that Itachi had, and even looked like him. There was no doubt in Hinata's mind that it was her daughter; the fact that the girl had red Sharingan eyes only further confirmed what she already knew.

And now, she was being held in Konoha's prison, probably being tortured. Hinata didn't know how long her heart and conscience would be able to endure it before she broke down and confessed to everyone and anyone that the captive girl was her daughter and insisted on setting her free.

She hadn't been able to see Itachi before he had fled with the rest of the Akatsuki, though she supposed that it was for the best; she didn't know how she would have reacted upon seeing him again. She loved her family and the life she had now, but for all she knew, she would have run away with him if he had asked her to.

She wondered if she should go and see Mariko in the prison. _But what would I say to her? Hi, I'm your mom, sorry you're in prison? I'm sure __that__ would go over real well; we would really bond over that conversation._

She looked out across the still water of the lake. It was rather ironic; the first time the Akatsuki had attacked, her newborn baby had been taken from her, and the second time they attacked, she had been returned to her as a young woman.

"Hinata?"

She whipped around upon hearing her name; the voice that said it sounded familiar, and as she beheld the dark figure standing against the trees, she was convinced for a moment that Itachi had returned for her.

"Naruto's looking for you. The danger is gone now; you should probably get back to your family."

"Oh, right…thanks, Sasuke," _Sasuke_. She inwardly chuckled at herself and her foolish thoughts that it had been Itachi coming for her.

Sasuke walked by her side all the way down to the village, leaving her at her father's door. She sighed and walked into the mansion, instantly greeted by her three children, who were ecstatic upon seeing their mother.

It wasn't long before Naruto came for his family, and between the two of them, he and Hinata managed to carry their three sleeping children back to their home.

* * *

When she came to, it was morning. Her mouth was very dry and she had crusted blood on her chin and at the corners of her mouth; the right side of her face was swollen from where she'd been hit the day before, making it so that she could only open her right eye halfway. She swallowed with some difficulty, and blinked several times before painfully turning her stiff neck so that she could try to chip away some of the dried blood stuck to her face on her clothing.

"Oh, you're awake," a voice said with a strange mix of cheeriness and boredom.

Mariko froze and looked around the prison, which, until then, she had thought was empty. Her eyes fell on the form of a tall man with silver hair sticking up all over the place, wearing an ANBU uniform, a black mask covering the lower half of his face and a headband tilted over one eye.

She got the very odd feeling in her gut that she knew this man somehow, but her mind told her that she'd never seen him before. She watched him very closely as he entered her cell and stood in front of her, but while maintaining a respectful distance.

"Kami, you've gotten big. Although I guess it's to be expected; it's been…what? Seventeen years? Wow, time really flies," he spoke to her as if she was an old friend that he hadn't seen in awhile and had run into, which just confused Mariko further. He continued, "But I didn't expect to see you again at all," Suddenly, his tone turned dark. "I really didn't expect your father to be that stupid."

This was too much; Mariko had to know what the hell this guy was talking about. Obviously he knew her _and_ her father, but Itachi had never said anything about this man to her. Who was he? And how did he know them?

The silver-haired ANBU chuckled; he could tell that the questions were eating away at her.

"Sorry, I guess I should introduce myself to you; I'm Hatake Kakashi. I knew your father a long time ago, before massacred his family and left the village..."

_So the fortune teller was right; dad really did kill them_.

"I also worked with your uncle, Sasuke, when he was younger, and, as you can see, I'm now part of the ANBU Black Ops, of which your uncle is the captain."

_Sasuke…_

"Now then, I'm curious about what your father has taught you. This is a silly question, you being your father's daughter and all, but just humor me…have you had your Sharingan activated?" he paused, waiting for her response.

Mariko felt that she would have told this man, Kakashi, anything, if he would only tell her about herself; apparently he knew quite a bit. But the small part of herself that she still had control over was enough to allow her to keep her senses about her.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've never heard of this…Sharingan, is it? Never heard of it before." She said it smoothly and with levelness in her voice.

She half expected Kakashi to react like Neji and the moron ANBU had at her uncooperativeness and immediately resort to violence; but he was different, he took two steps closer to her, which allowed him to lower his voice a few notches, even though they were the only ones in the prison.

"Now we both know that's not true," His words sounded sweet, but they made her uneasy, "How old were you when you were able to master the Fireball Jutsu?"

"I don't have a Fireball Jutsu. You must be confusing me with someone else."

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. "Oh no, I would know you anywhere, with those silver eyes of yours; you don't come across eyes like those that often."

Mariko made a move that was supposed to be a nonchalant shrug, but it was hindered by her shackles. "Whatever. But hey, since we're apparently all buddy-buddy, maybe you could help me out and let me go?" She rattled her chains suggestively.

Another chuckle. "I don't think so. You see, the Hokage would be pretty upset if she found out that I just released you. I think that she wants to talk to you herself before deciding what to do with you."

"What makes you think I'll talk about anything to her? What does she even want to talk to me about?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, I don't know for sure, but I would assume something along the lines of your involvement with the Akatsuki and what their plans are and what they're planning on doing with the sword that they stole."

"And what happens if I don't know the answer to any of those questions?" Mariko asked testily.

"That's up to the Hokage," he replied.

Mariko sighed with boredom; if something was going to happen to her, she wished it would just happen already, she didn't even care what it was.

Kakashi looked at the hanging girl and took the few steps required to close the distance between them. He took her chin in his hand and tilted her face so that he could see into her silver eyes.

Mariko was about to thrash away from his grip when she noticed that he had removed the headband from his eye, exposing it. She also noticed that it was blood red, not blue like the other one. She was dumbstruck for a moment. _Sharingan? How does he have a Sharingan eye? __He's__ not related to me too, is he? The fortune teller didn't say anything about him._

The silver-haired ANBU let her go and began walking out of the cell, smiling to himself. "Yep, I can see her in you." He said, seemingly to himself, locking her cell door.

"Who?" Mariko's inquisitive eyes followed him.

He walked up to the top of the staircase before answering, "Your mother." And he closed the door leading out of the prison, leaving the girl alone while wave after wave of questions rolled over her.

* * *

A knock was heard at the door; Hinata walked over and opened it to reveal her sister standing there. She opened it wider, allowing the younger girl space to walk in.

"Thanks for coming over, Hanabi," she said. "Naruto's been really busy lately, what with the attack happening and all."

Hanabi nodded understandingly. "No worries, sis. You know I don't mind staying with the little monkeys anyways."

"Aunt Hanabi!" Three little voices squealed in unison, as the Uzumaki siblings came rushing over to their aunt, throwing their little arms around her.

Hanabi stooped down so that her face was level with her nephews' and nieces'. "Hello my favorite little munchkins! What are you all up to?"

"Hachi's teaching us how to fight in case we have to protect Mama from the bad guys!" Sayuri piped up, her pearly Hyuuga eyes shining with excitement.

Jiro nodded, his overly-long dark hairbobbing up and down with each shake of his head; Hinata made a mental note to take him for a haircut soon.

"Alright, you three, behave for your aunt. I won't be gone long and daddy should be home soon, okay?"

The three children nodded and watched like perfect little angels as their mother walked out of the door, but the second it was closed, she heard the excited screams begin, and she smiled to herself.

* * *

She slowly made her way through the village, heading towards the Hokage tower. She climbed the stairs leading to the floor where the ANBU had their little offices and where many of their meetings took place.

She paused, taking a breath, before tentatively knocking on the door of Kakashi's office. For a moment, there was no sound, and she thought that he was gone, but then the scraping of a chair could be heard, followed by footsteps.

The silver-haired ANBU opened the door. "Hinata," he said, with a small degree of surprise in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I…need a favor," she said slowly, "I want you to take me to her; I need to see her."

Hinata knew that Kakashi knew who she was referring to; he ran a hand through his silver hair and sighed. "Are you sure you want to see her? She's not some sweet young girl, Hinata; she's in a vulnerable spot, which is making her even fiercer. She probably won't even know who you are."

She thought for a second, but nodded her head resolutely. "I need to."

Kakashi sighed. "Alright then, I'll take you to her." He closed the door of his office and escorted the Hyuuga girl back down the stairs and to the prison door.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Kakashi asked one last time, his one uncovered eye intent on the pale-eyed woman.

Hinata nodded. "She needs me right now. I'm her mother; the least I can do is be with her."

"Alright, if you're sure," the ANBU slid the key into the lock, turned it, and slowly slid the heavy metal door open with a severe scraping sound.

* * *

Earlier that day, Mariko had had visitors. One was that bastard Neji, one was that Jounin with the brown spiky hair who had captured her, and the last was an ANBU who had black hair that stuck out in the back and hung in his face in front, cold, dark eyes and who looked very much like her father; she could only guess that this was her uncle, Uchiha Sasuke.

But he either didn't realize that she was his brother's daughter or he just didn't care; she guessed the latter. He stood there, leaning back on the wall of the cell with his arms crossed over his chest, watching as Neji "worked" on her.

The guy was still angry about her kicking him, and now that all four of her limbs were chained up, he wasted no time in getting back at her for what she had done.

She was badly bruised and bleeding when Sasuke finally called Neji off of her. She felt that a few of her ribs were broken and she spat out a mouthful of blood onto the floor that already had a spattering of blood stains on it.

Her silver eyes went to Sasuke as he slowly approached her and began to circle her. The Jounin just leaned lazily against the wall, looking extremely bored. For some reason, Mariko suddenly recalled an experience she had had when she was just eight years old. She had been in the woods, sitting in a tree, when two wolves had flashed past on the ground beneath her.

Intrigued, she had watched as the two, obviously competing alpha males, had engaged in a battle of fangs and claws, each one tearing mercilessly at the other. Finally, the fight ended and the victor galloped off into the trees. The loser had just lain there on the ground, panting and bleeding.

Mariko had always loved animals, and she couldn't stand the sight of one suffering, so she had slid down the tree trunk and cautiously approached the wolf. Upon seeing her approach, the wild animal had instantly gotten up and bared its teeth at her warningly.

She had stopped and the wolf had taken a few staggering steps backward before turning and limping away as quickly as it could. Mariko had been amazed that it had reacted as it did; she could tell that it had lost a lot of blood and she didn't think it would even be able to stand.

But one thing that she learned from the injured wolf was that you can never show your enemies that you're hurt, even if it's an obvious thing to see; you should only show them your teeth and that if you go down, you're going down fighting.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks when the chained girl literally snarled at him, showing her white teeth while a low growl rumbled forth from her mouth. He seemed almost startled, and Mariko smirked, silently thanking the wolf for the lesson.

He came close to her, but unfortunately, not close enough for her to demonstrate just how effectively her teeth worked; her uncle wasn't a complete idiot like that other ANBU had been.

The older Uchiha presented the girl with his own malevolent grin, before resuming his circling. "Are you going to tell me your name now?" He asked in his monotonous voice.

Mariko just stared at him heatedly, her silver eyes ablaze. She sniffed as blood began to run from her nose; she really wished that she had a sleeve to wipe it on.

Sasuke sighed with, it seemed, disappointment and boredom. Then he calmly strode up to her, grabbing her neck tightly from behind so that she couldn't bite him. He leaned in very close to her; he was so close that she could feel his breath on her ear. She wanted to struggle, but his grip on her was paralyzing, so she just growled at him again.

Sasuke laughed softly and whispered, "You don't scare me, little wolf. Now why don't you tell me your real name? It's not good for family to keep things from each other."

So she had been right; he did know who she was, but the bastard chose to let her get pummeled anyway. _What a lousy prick_. There was no way in hell she was going to speak to him now. She firmly set her jaw, making it obvious that no words would be coming out of her mouth anytime soon.

He gave her a rough shake, still clutching her neck in his big hand. It hurt, especially since she was already bruised up pretty badly, and she sucked in a breath through her clenched teeth.

"She's not gonna talk, let's just go and let the Hokage deal with her later," the Jounin said. It was the first Mariko had heard him speak since he had been there.

"What is the Hokage going to think of us if we can't even get her to tell us her name?" Neji asked the Jounin with an irritated tone.

The brown-haired guy shrugged. "I don't know, but this is a real drag."

"Then why don't you try to get her to talk, Shikamaru?" Neji suggested exasperatedly.

"Nah, too troublesome," he replied.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned his attention back on his niece. "Don't think that just because we share blood that I'll be nice with you," he said in a low voice, "You are the child of my brother, who I hate, and I can only assume that you're just like he is, so I'm not feeling particularly inclined to handle you gently. Now, you will tell me what name my brother gave you, or I will wrench it out of you in the most painful way I know."

Mariko didn't like hearing her uncle threaten her; she didn't like the venom-laden words that came out of his mouth and that were directed towards her. She felt hurt, though not physically, like he was obviously hoping she would; it injured her heart to hear his hateful words. She knew that he bore a grudge against her father, but she had secretly hoped that somehow, he would realize that she bore none of the blame for Itachi's sins and at least take the time to get to know her. But she remembered what the wolf had taught her about covering up her injuries with some act of defiance.

She spat out some bloodied saliva at him; she was aiming for his face, but it only landed on his chest.

Sasuke looked from the bloodspot to the bound girl, his face impassive. He then pulled an especially sharp-looking kunai from his belt and, before she had even blinked, he made two cuts in both of her sides, right on top of her ribcage.

She gave a little gasp of surprise and pain, but quickly clenched her teeth shut again. She felt fresh warm blood seeping into her shirt and running down her stomach.

"Now talk to me, little wolf. Tell me what your name is; that's all I want to know."

When she gave him nothing but the same rebellious stare that she had perfected during her short prison stay, Sasuke sighed, pulling out four shuriken stars from his belt pouch.

"Alright," he said, "We'll do this the hard way."

He stepped away from her, and lifted his right hand; one of the four stars was wedged in between his middle and index fingers. Mariko couldn't tell where he was aiming, but she was very sure that it would hurt wherever it hit.

She had just taken a breath and tensed her muscles to steel herself against the impending pain, when the familiar scraping sound of the prison door opening caused the four inhabitants of the prison to look up simultaneously.

A stunningly good-looking boy, not too far from Mariko's age, walked in. He had bright emerald eyes and shiny black hair that flopped over into his eyes. He was dressed in a Jounin vest, a steel-gray shirt and black pants. He looked with interest at the others below him in the prison cell.

"Dad," he said, looking at Sasuke, "Kakashi's here. He says he needs to speak with the prisoner alone."

Mariko looked between the boy at the top of the stairs and the man in front of her. The boy had called him "dad", so that kid was her cousin? The fortune teller hadn't said anything about cousins. She tried to turn her head so that she could get a better look at the boy.

"Alright, Kai, we're done here anyways," Sasuke said, slipping the Shuriken back into his belt pouch.

_Great_, Mariko thought, watching the two ANBU, the Jounin and her cousin disappear from sight, _Kakashi's coming back. This should be fun._

She made a disgusting noise as she snuffed up mucus and blood and spat it on the floor.

"Charming," Kakashi said sarcastically, walking down the stairs.

"It was either that or suffocate," Mariko replied. She was willing to talk to Kakashi, because so far, he was the only one who hadn't threatened or beaten her; even though she was a prisoner, he was more respectful towards her and she appreciated it, but it didn't mean that she enjoyed his visits.

"I brought someone to see you," Kakashi went on, gesturing to the top of the stairs.

Mariko looked up and saw a woman standing at the top, staring down at her with wide eyes. The woman had shiny blue-black hair and eyes that looked just like Neji's.

_She must be related to him; fabulous. _

"Who the hell is she?" she asked the ANBU.

"I'll let her tell you herself," he replied.

"She's not even moving! I don't think she's gonna talk anytime soon!" the girl yelled in frustration; she was so sick of random people coming in here and claiming to know her while she had no clue who they were, and no one was giving her any answers, it wasn't fair. _Fine then, I'll just be so freaking talkative that they'll be begging me to shut up._

This caused the woman to snap out of her trance-like state and slowly descend the stairs. Kakashi led her into the cell, but stood back, next to the door, while she continued on, stopping when she was just inches from the girl.

"Oh Kami, what did they do to you?" the woman whispered.

"Who? Those jackasses who just left? Yeah, they thrashed me pretty good. But don't worry, I'll make them wish they had killed me when they had the chance, especially that Neji sonofabitch."

The woman's eyes filled with tears, and a few spilled over onto her ivory cheeks. "Oh Mariko, what's happened to you?"

"I already told you, lady, I just had a fully grown guy beating the shit out of me while I was chained up. Seriously, how is that fair?"

But the woman was now sobbing, her face in her hands. "Oh, my girl, my poor baby girl. Oh, Kami, I'm so sorry. This is my fault."

Mariko's ears had perked at the woman's words. "Wait, what do you mean 'your baby girl'? What are you talking about?" she questioned. "And…and how the hell did you know my name?" It had just dawned on her that the woman had called her by her name.

The woman wiped her watery eyes. "You don't remember me, do you? That's alright; we were only together for minutes before you left. My maiden name was Hyuuga Hinata, and I'm your mother."

* * *

_Hey you, see me, pictures crazy,_

_All the world I've seen before me passing by,_

_I've got, nothing, to gain, to lose,_

_All the world I've seen before me passing by_

_--"Atwa"_


	15. Dear God

**Not much to say except thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter...I love you all!!!! Hope you like this one as much :D **

**Don't forget to review! Thanks!!!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Dear God" by Avenged Sevenfold; End Credits: "A Message" by Coldplay; Others: "The Haunting" by Kamelot, "The Theft" by Atreyu, "Let Go" by FrouFrou, "Innocent Days" by Hitomi**_**

* * *

**_

_**Dear God**_

_Dear God, the only thing I ask of you_

_Is to hold her when I'm not around, when I'm much too far away_

_We all need that person who can be true to you_

_But I left her when I found her and now I wish I'd stayed_

_Cause I'm lonely and I'm tired, I'm missing you again oh no_

_Once again_

_--"Dear God"_

* * *

"When can we go back and get Mariko? I miss her!" Tobi wailed.

"We'll go back when things die down a bit," Itachi said, seemingly emotionless.

"Don't you think that's too long, un? I mean, for all we know, she'll be dead by then. I've seen what they do with their prisoners."

Hidan had been leaning against the wall, traces of his black body paint still present in shadowy streaks, listening to the exchanging of opinions between his group members.

"They'll keep her alive for as long as they think that they can get information out of her," Itachi answered.

"Like that's any better," Sasori said bitterly. "Your brother is the ANBU captain now, isn't he? That little bastard won't show her any mercy, especially if he knows she's your kid."

Itachi's face darkened slightly at the mention of his younger brother. "She had nothing to do with what happened when we were younger," he said. "Sasuke can't hold that against her."

"But he's still pissed off at _you_," Kisame reasoned. "And if he thinks he can hurt you by hurting her, I have no doubt that he'll do it."

"Well, then hopefully, he'll think that since we left without her, I don't care that much about her and he won't use her against me." He stood and moved out of the living room and walked down the hallway to his room.

Once behind the door, he took several deep breaths. He'd had to get out of that room; he couldn't take listening to them talk about what might be happening to Mariko at that moment. He had been mentally beating himself up over it since he realized that she was missing. How could he have not noticed that she wasn't with them until it was too late? Why hadn't he instantly gone back for her? He was her _father_; he was supposed to take care of her!

He recalled his whispered prayer to Hinata to look after their daughter, only then understanding how unrealistic it was. How would she know that Mariko was the prisoner that had been taken? That is, if she even found out that ANBU had taken an Akatsuki prisoner; he knew from his own past experience in the ANBU that it was common practice to keep any knowledge of prisoners as secret as possible from the rest of the village.

He lay back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Memories came flooding back to him of when Mariko was still a little girl, happy, innocent and carefree, before all that shit with Hidan had happened.

He remembered how she used to play games with Tobi in the woods; how Deidara used to be able to fascinate her for hours with his animated clay figures and Sasori could do the same with his puppets; how she had learned all about the wild flora from Zetzu; how Kisame used to take her swimming and had taught her all the secrets of holding her breath for an extra long time and the most efficient strokes to use when swimming.

Why couldn't she just have stayed little forever? Why did she have to grow up? Why had he insisted on using Hidan as a means of activating her Sharingan? Shouldn't he have been glad if she never had it activated? Because that would mean that she never would have been frightened enough to need it.

That experience had severely damaged their bond; no longer was he her guardian and trusted protector; instead, he became someone that she would always suspect of treachery, someone that she had no faith in.

How could he have done that to her? How could he have even thought that she would just get over it and appreciate it later? He was always credited for being a genius, but he had done something extremely stupid in thinking that he was helping his daughter by frightening her beyond reason.

A single tear slid down from the corner of his eye. He hastily wiped it away and got up. He exited his own room and made his way down the hall to Mariko's bedroom; he needed to be somewhere where he could imagine she was. He knew that if he went to her room and closed his eyes, he would be able to pretend that she was there sleeping under her neon pink and black comforter, the gentle scent of mint seeping off of her.

So he walked into his daughter's room…and was met with the sight of Hidan. The silver-haired Jashinist was crouched with his back against the wall opposite of the bed, balancing on the balls of his feet, staring at the empty bed in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Itachi asked the priest coldly.

Hidan turned his face up to the Uchiha. "I…I miss her," he replied. His face and voice seemed blank and emotionless, but Itachi could see…_sadness_ in the immortal's violet eyes before he focused them on the bed once again.

"Yeah, me too," Itachi said after a pause, sitting down with his back against the same wall as Hidan's.

The Uchiha prodigy and the immortal priest rarely exchanged civil words and were definitely not friends, but in that moment, they felt a sort of bond, created by the love that each had for the missing girl, and they were content to sit side-by-side, imagining that Mariko was there.

* * *

Mariko's breath had hitched when the woman in front of her had spoken. "Come again?" she whispered.

"I'm your mother; Hyuuga Hinata," the woman repeated, her big hazy eyes still shining with unshed tears.

The silver-eyed girl recovered from the shock of the woman's words enough to put up her rebellious front again. "Yeah, right," she said sullenly, "This is just some nasty trick that you're using to try to get information out of me. Well, I'm not telling you shit, so all of you can go to hell."

She wished fervently that her father would come bursting into the prison at that second, with Deidara, Kisame, Sasori, Tobi, Zetzu and Hidan, all ready to take her home. She missed them and she didn't like being alone with all of these strangers who knew her but she didn't know them. Her uncle Sasuke was a total prick and she didn't care if she ever got to know her cousin. She just wanted to go home.

The woman, Hinata, began crying softly again. "What do you want me to do to prove that I'm your mother?" she asked.

"Nothing!" Mariko said, her voice raised a few levels. "Don't even bother because I won't believe anything that you tell me!"

Kakashi moved for the first time from his post at the cell door. "Hinata," he said softly, "Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"Yeah, it's not a good idea! Why don't you listen to him and get the hell away from me?!" Mariko snarled, her silver eyes emanating a cold fierceness.

This was too much for Hinata to take; she couldn't bear to hear such hurtful words coming from her daughter. She let Kakashi usher her out of the cell and up the stairs to the prison's main door, but before leaving, she cast one last, tearful look down at the chained girl.

After Hinata had gone, Kakashi returned to lean back against the barred cell door once again. "She really is your mother," he said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, right, whatever," Mariko grumbled in reply.

"I was there that night, right after you had been born," Kakashi went on in a reminiscing voice. "The Akatsuki attacked us on that night too. That was the one and only time that I've ever seen fear cross your father's face. He was afraid that I was going to capture him, tell on your mother and take you."

Mariko laughed darkly. "Look, Kakashi, I really don't give a fuck if you know me, my father, my mother or anyone else. It really makes no difference to me. But when some strange woman comes in here, claiming to be my mother, I have a problem with that; especially if I'm chained up in the basement of some prison and I've been beaten up by several groups of men who all wanted information out of me. Why wouldn't I suspect that they tell some woman to come in here, sniveling and blubbering all over the place, trying to convince me that she's my mother so that she could get information out of me that violence couldn't? Wouldn't you be suspicious too?"

"I see your point," Kakashi said understandingly. "But I'm telling you, for her sake, that she _is_ your mother. And I don't think that a day has gone by for the past seventeen years that she hasn't thought about you. She's confessed to me several times that she wonders if she did the right thing in letting your father take you away."

"Well, she made a decision and if she thought it wasn't right, then she shouldn't have done it; I don't feel sorry for her. And you can pass it on to her that I did just fine without her."

"Yes, I can see that," Kakashi said, his voice tinged with sarcasm as he eyed the girl in front of him, shackled to the floor and ceiling.

Mariko rolled her eyes. "Look, if you're not gonna let me go, then can you just leave?"

The silver-haired ANBU sighed and walked out of the cell, locking it behind him before heading up the stairs and leaving the prison completely.

Mariko's eyes went to the floor, where the golden rays of the setting sun were spilling across it. She knew that what Kakashi and Hinata said was true; she knew that Hinata was her mother. She had seen it in that last look, all the sorrow and hurt and guilt that the older woman felt for the girl; that had been real.

She had often wondered what her reaction would be if she had ever succeeded in finding her mother; she figured that she would be so overwhelmed with relief and happiness that she would cry and her mother would cry and they would hold each other for awhile before sitting down and telling each other all about their lives. And then, her father would come looking for her and when he saw his former love, they would fall in love all over again and her mother would come and live with them and they would be a family again.

Of course, those thoughts were from a long time ago, when she was much younger and still allowed her overly-active imagination and sense of romanticism rule her mind.

Well, she had met her mother, and her mother had cried, but it hadn't been out of happiness, it had been because Mariko had been cruel and she had purposely chosen her words for their nasty bite. She was angry; she didn't feel happiness and relief at finally meeting her mother…just anger that she had given her up and angry at the circumstances under which they had finally met.

* * *

Hinata had managed to regain her composure within a few minutes of being outside of the prison. She hastily wiped at her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She was glad that the prison was in the woods and not in the village, where someone could see her.

Kakashi had offered to take her home, but she had declined.

"I'm just going to go for a walk. My sister is with the kids," she said, putting on her best attempt at a reassuring smile before starting off further into the woods.

Kakashi watched her go, feeling deep sympathy for her. She had waited for so long to meet the girl, knowing that the day might never come, but it finally did, and the girl had been an utter brat.

He supposed she couldn't help it; after all, she was separated from her father and the rest of the Akatsuki and she was chained up in a dingy prison and being regularly interrogated and beaten. It wasn't so inconceivable that she would behave viciously to whoever she could. Still though, Hinata was one of the kindest people he knew, and it was hard for him to grasp anyone tearing at her the way the girl had.

Hinata had gone to that place, near the small lake, where so much had happened. It was there that she had first met Uchiha Itachi; it was there that her little girl had been born.

_Mariko, what happened to you? Why are you like this?_ She had a difficult time in believing that Itachi had raised her to be so feral and unkind. It was true that he wasn't exactly the best example of compassion, but she knew how gentle and caring he could be. She had seen him holding their daughter when she was born and the look of love and devotion that he gave her when she had first gazed at him with her big silver eyes. Hinata knew that he would always love her and take care of her, and that was what had made it possible for her to let her baby go.

Something terrible must have happened to make Mariko so cold, unless... Would she have reacted that way upon meeting her no matter the circumstances under which the meeting took place? Did her daughter hate her for letting her go? Was she bitter towards her because she hadn't been there to watch and help her grow up?

_But he promised! Itachi promised me that he would tell her that I love her and that I didn't want to let her go. He swore to me that he would_, she thought. _Still, Mariko has a mind of her own; just because her father tells her something doesn't mean that she has to believe it._

She still couldn't get the image of Mariko's cold, hard eyes out of her mind; it frightened her that her daughter was capable of such a stare. The look combined with her unusual eye color made it seemed almost inhuman.

_She said that Neji beat her up, and Sasuke was there too. Her own family…_ Hinata shook her head, trying to clear out the unsettling mental pictures that she was getting.

She sighed and hugged her knees close to her chest as she sat under a pine tree, looking out at the still water of the lake.

* * *

Mariko dangled, seemingly lifeless, from her chains during the few moments that she managed to sleep that night. When she slept though, she was plagued by nightmares, and she would wake up close to tears and calling out for her father or Deidara.

She would then remember where she was, and that her family wasn't there to protect her from her night terrors. She felt such a sharp pain in her heart that she was convinced that it was breaking, slowly, into millions of pieces. She missed them so much. Using what little strength she had left in her arms, she grasped the chain links that kept her suspended from the ceiling and hoisted herself up as far as her leg shackles would allow so that she could just glimpse the night sky outside of the barred window. The stars glittered back at her sympathetically.

She sighed and hung her head dejectedly, but she didn't sleep; she saw them in her dreams when she slept, making it that much more painful when she awoke and found that they weren't there.

When Sasuke, Neji and a blond ANBU that Mariko had never seen came to collect her at dawn, she didn't speak or move; she just hung there, staring dejectedly at the bloodstained floor.

When Neji undid her leg shackles, preparing himself discreetly for a kick, she didn't move; when he undid the shackles that held her up by her wrists, she fell to the floor, not even trying to catch herself, and continued staring straight ahead with a faraway look in her eyes.

Neji looked questioningly at Sasuke, who was staring at his niece with confusion. The blond had a look of genuine concern on his face.

The Hyuuga tapped the girl's limp form with his foot; she didn't move.

Sasuke walked over and studied the girl for a moment; he didn't like her like this, it was much easier to deal with her when she was fighting and cursing at them.

"Get up," he commanded her; she didn't move.

He turned his irritated gaze on her, but her eyes were focused on the nothing right in front of her and she paid him no mind.

"I said _get up_," Sasuke's voice had dropped to a dangerously low level, but still Mariko made no move to obey him.

His patience had reached its short limit long ago; he didn't have time for this. He was aiming a kick at her that he was certain would snap her out of whatever trance she was in, when the blond spoke, staying his foot.

"Sasuke, don't! Something's really wrong with her." He walked over and knelt in front of her, lifting her chin and peering into her glazed silver eyes with his crystal blue ones. He gently set her face back down on the dirty floor before turning to Sasuke and Neji.

"I'll carry her," he said.

Sasuke scoffed. "Naruto, she's a prisoner; she's with the Akatsuki, remember? She's killed people from this village: friends, squad members, innocents. If she won't walk then you can drag her, but she hardly deserves to be carried."

But Naruto shook his blond head. "No, it's okay; I'll carry her." And with that, he gently turned Mariko over so that she was on her back before picking her up bridal style and holding her protectively against him.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with," Sasuke grumbled as he and Neji turned and led the way out of the prison.

The sunlight was blinding. She hadn't been kept in total darkness, but she still hadn't been allowed to enjoy the full effects of a sunny day while she was in prison. She had to blink a few times before her eyes adjusted.

She looked up at the owner of the arms that were holding her; she saw blond hair and blue eyes, and for the tiniest fraction of a second, she thought that it was Deidara carrying her. She nearly screamed with joy and threw her arms around him, but then realized that it was just the sunlight and her own homesick mind that were playing tricks on her.

Naruto glanced down at the girl in his arms; she reminded him a little of his own daughter, with her pale eyes and dark hair. Except that Sayuri's eyes were the milky white of the Hyuuga clan and this girl's were silver.

They walked from the prison, which was apparently located in the woods, to the village and back to the place where Mariko had fought alongside the Akatsuki several nights prior. The Hokage tower loomed menacingly over them.

Mariko turned her face into the black shirt that was under the silver armor which her handler wore; he smelled nice, like fresh grass and rain. Comforted somewhat, she instinctively cuddled closer against the strong chest and felt the gentle grip tighten ever-so-slightly on her.

_When dad and the others come_, she thought to herself, _I'll have to remember to tell them to let this one live._

She could feel herself being carried all the way up a long flight of stairs, but she didn't visually take in anything, because she had her eyes closed and her face buried into the sweet-smelling shirt of her transporter. She didn't want to look at her pitiless uncle or Neji's cold, cruel eyes; she didn't want to see where they were taking her and what horrors awaited her there. For now, she just wanted to inhale familiar, comforting scents off of this man who was being gentle with her and who she felt strangely safe with.

Sasuke led the way into Tsunade's office, Neji entered after him, followed by Naruto and Mariko. The blond woman looked at the three ANBU questioningly.

"I think she's sick or something," Naruto explained. "She couldn't stand."

"No, she _wouldn't_ stand," Sasuke corrected.

"I see," the Hokage replied, studying what she could see of the girl in Naruto's arms. "Set her down there," she said, pointing to a chair that sat opposite of her own, on the other side of her desk.

Naruto did as he was told, slowly and softly setting Mariko down in an upright sitting position. He had to work a little to pry the girl's fingers from his shirt, though.

The lady Hokage and the three ANBU stared silently at the girl before them: she looked scared, all traces of her former fierceness were now gone and she had the panicked and wild-eyed look of a small child who has just found out that it's been separated from its mother. Her silver eyes darted around the room and she began to shake.

"What's your name?" Tsunade asked calmly, drawing the girl's eyes to her for a moment.

Mariko said nothing at first; Tsunade was about to repeat her question when suddenly the girl said in a trembling voice, "I want to go home."

All of the Konoha ninja were taken aback by the girl's words. She continued to scan the room with her light eyes like a caged wild rabbit.

Tsunade cast a suspicious look in Sasuke and Neji's direction; had they beaten the girl so badly that they caused some sort of damage to her head?

"Well before we let you go home, we'd like you to answer a few questions for us," she explained. "Will you tell us your name?"

Mariko shook her head. "I want to go home." She repeated. Small beads of sweat had begun forming on her forehead and she was shaking more violently.

"Where is 'home' to you?" Tsunade asked.

The girl's silver eyes began to fill with tears; she felt really sick and she was among strangers who would sooner kill her than look at her. She just wanted to be home, in her bed, snuggled up under Hidan's chin, or wrapped in one of Deidara's comforting and warm hugs, or dozing during a TV show with her head on Sasori's shoulder.

To go along with her already injured heart, her insides felt as though they were being twisted and coiled up tightly. She gripped at her abdomen and clenched her teeth in an effort to stay her trembling, but it was useless.

Tsunade could see that there was something afflicting the girl that was more than just fear and exhaustion. She stood and quickly strode over to where the prisoner sat and bent down so that she could look into the girl's face. It was flushed, and she was beginning to breathe more rapidly.

"Shit," the lady Hokage breathed. Then she said to the three ANBU, "We've gotta get her to the ICU, she's showing all the signs of septic shock. Sasuke, go and find Sakura and tell her that I'll need her. Neji, go and alert the RN on emergency duty that I'm bringing her in. Naruto, will you carry her there?"

Naruto was there in a heartbeat and scooped the shaking, sweating, panting girl up in his arms once more. Neji and Sasuke were already gone, on their way to the hospital.

Everything was moving way too fast for Mariko to keep up. She was out in the sun again, moving quickly. And then she was inside, but the glare of the white lights in the ceiling was just as harsh on her half-closed eyes. There were people everywhere; she heard voices screaming, but she couldn't make out the words. She saw flashes of color: brown, pink, blond, black, but she didn't know what they were. She was fighting hard to keep a hold on her consciousness, but it was quickly slipping away from her.

The last thing that she was able to do before blackness edged its way over her eyes was to whimper pitifully for her father.

* * *

Sakura had been surprised to see Sasuke in the hospital; her husband was usually only there when one of his squad members had been injured, and nearly everyone who had been hurt in the Akatsuki attack several days ago was out of the ICU and on the road to recovery.

"Sasuke! What's…" But the pink-haired medic-nin didn't get to finish her question, because Sasuke cut her off.

"The Hokage is bringing in the prisoner girl for septic shock. She told me to tell you to be ready; they should be here in a few minutes. Neji already went to tell the emergency nurse." He said his words calmly, but with a sense of urgency.

Sakura had quickly handed off the clipboard that she had been holding to one of the resident doctors and ran to the supply closet to grab some bags of fluids and antibiotics before making a beeline for the nearest ICU room.

A few minutes later, Naruto and Tsunade had come bursting in; Naruto still had Mariko clutched tightly to him, but he quickly put her down on the table that Sakura pointed to before jumping out of the way of the medic-nin.

The pink-haired doctor quickly inserted several IV lines into the girl's arms, so that the fluids and antibiotics she had grabbed could begin circulating in her bloodstream. A nurse got an ECG going and watched it, looking for any heartbeat irregularities; Tsunade was doing a sort of ultrasound on the girl's body using her chakra, searching for the source of the infection.

"Found it!" she said triumphantly, grabbing a pair of surgical scissors to cut away the black and red-cloud tank top that the girl wore to reveal the two cuts on her ribs that her uncle had inflicted on her a few days earlier. The cuts themselves weren't that deep, but the dirt from her clothing and the mold and bacteria and insects in the prison cell had managed to find their way into the open wound; the weakened state she was in due to lack of food hadn't helped her in fighting off the infection either.

The cuts were a lethal-looking black now and there was pus leaking out of them in certain areas. Sakura grimaced, but she immediately went to work, concentrating her chakra on the girl's wounded body and slowly cleansing out the infection.

After the critical work had been done, Sakura drew some blood from Mariko's arm and sent it down to the hospital lab for analysis, checking to be sure that all of the infection was gone. She instructed the nurse to put an oxygen mask on the girl and make sure that she was getting plenty of fluids; the pink-haired medic also gave the girl a drug to increase the blood flow to her vital organs.

She was just finishing up the girl's medication instructions when Hinata came bursting into the room.

Sakura looked up in surprise. "Hinata! What…?"

"Where is she?!" Hinata asked, her pale eyes looking frantically around the room. When they rested on the limp form of the girl in the bed, now resting peacefully, she calmed down and quietly walked over to the side of the bed, drawing up a chair and sitting down, never taking her eyes from the girl.

"Do you know her?" Sakura asked softly.

Hinata nodded, keeping her gaze on Mariko. "She's my daughter."

* * *

_My song is love_

_Love to the loveless shown_

_And it goes up_

_You don't have to be alone_

_--"A Message"_


	16. Life Is Beautiful

**One more week...one more week...one more week... Sorry, I'm just trying to get through this last week of classes before finals and then...SPRING BREAK!!! Hell ya!!! I cannot wait, this quarter has been torture!!! Plus, I will be able to write to my little heart's content:D So, I'm just trying to keep my sanity around long enough to make it through the week. **

**Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter! Don't forget R&R!!! Thanks!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Life Is Beautiful" by Sixx AM; End Credits: "Don't Cry Out" by Shiny Toy Guns; Others: "No One" by Alicia Keys, "Only One" by Yellowcard, "Displaced" by Azure Ray, "Jesus" by Brand New**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Life Is Beautiful**_

_I know some things that you don't_

_I've done things that you won't_

_There's nothing like a trail of blood to find your way back home_

_--"Life is Beautiful"_

* * *

Kakashi had arrived just after Hanabi had left. He had knocked urgently at the door and when Hinata answered, with a confused look on her face, he told her that one of the ANBU who had just come from the hospital said that the prisoner had been brought in on an emergency.

Hinata's face had instantly paled and her eyes grew wide.

"You go," Kakashi urged. "I'll stay with your kids."

Hinata had needed no further urging; she grabbed her jacket and sprinted out of the door past Kakashi and in the direction of the hospital. Her children knew Kakashi well - he was Sayuri's godfather – so she knew that they would be thrilled to find him there.

She wondered what could have happened. She had seen Mariko right after she had been beaten up by Neji and Sasuke; she'd looked awful. Was it blood loss? Or dehydration? Or was it something else? She didn't know and she didn't care; Mariko might have been less than thrilled to see her earlier, but she was still her mother, and she was going to be there when her daughter woke up.

* * *

Mariko slowly opened her eyes, but quickly shut them against the harsh light from the sun and the white lights of the hospital. Her entire body ached. She wanted to pull her pillow over her face to block out the light and the noise that was becoming more and more apparent as she regained her consciousness, but she couldn't.

She opened one eye just a crack, allowing herself to adjust to the light gradually. She glanced around the room; it was a shade of creamy off-white, there was a framed watercolor painting of a vase of flowers done in soft pastel colors on one wall, and a picture of a lake in green, mossy woods on another wall.

She was covered by a heavy pink blanket and she noticed, just by feel, that her clothes were gone and she was now wearing a stiff, scratchy hospital gown. She saw IV lines in her arms and she had a fingertip sensor clipped to her left index finger. There were bandages wrapped around her wrists where the shackles had cut into her flesh.

She moaned; they had her now. She would have rather been chained up in the dungeon again; at least there, she still had some of her dignity and she appeared strong. They had seen her at her weakest and now she was completely at their mercy.

She gazed longingly out of the window that was separated from her bed by a few feet of empty space. She heard the door handle to her room turn and she slowly rolled her head to the other side so that she could attempt to death-glare whoever entered.

It was her mother. She wore a surprised expression on her face; apparently, she hadn't expected to see Mariko awake. The surprise quickly faded away to nervousness as she slowly approached the bed where her daughter lay.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"Like shit," Mariko replied curtly, turning her face away to stare out of her window once more. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes still averted away.

"I heard that you were brought in on emergency, so I rushed down here."

"You didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did! You're my daughter, Mariko, I do care about you."

Mariko winced slightly at those last words. She turned back to Hinata, and looked at her seriously, all traces of bitterness and sarcasm gone from her face and her voice as she said, "Look, you seem really nice. And I know that I was a bitch to you the last time I saw you, but you have to understand that you don't really exist to me." Hinata looked slightly confused. "What I mean is, you weren't there when I was growing up, and I didn't know anything about you, so I had to imagine you. And that's all that you've ever been to me: a figment of my imagination. So it's a little difficult for me to interact with the real you."

Hinata looked slightly dejected upon hearing this; Mariko turned away to watch a bird fluttering by the window.

"You know what's weird?" she said, suddenly. "When I first heard that we were coming here, I was really kind of excited, because I knew that you were here, and I wanted nothing more than to meet you and get to know you. I wanted to finally put a face to my mother. And then, when I was captured and hung up in that shitty prison, I suddenly didn't care whether or not I ever got to meet you; I just wanted to go home. I should have known better in the first place, because things don't work both ways for me. I should have known that if I got to meet you, there would be some sort of catch," she said it with some slight bitterness.

Hinata was slightly stung by her daughter's words, but she knew that Mariko meant no offense by them. Not this time. She cleared her throat a little before saying, "Well, right now, I'm all you have. And you have no idea what it means to me to be able to see you again after all these years."

Mariko knew she was right, of course: her mother _was_ the only person in this whole village that would look out for her. Maybe Kakashi and the blond ANBU who had carried her to the hospital would go out of their way to keep her alive and comfortable and they wouldn't beat her up, but that didn't mean that they cared for her; they just weren't animals like Neji and Sasuke, who felt the need to display physical violence if they didn't get their way.

Suddenly, Hinata noticed the black string of beads wound around the girl's wrist. "You still have them," she smiled.

"Huh?" Mariko followed her mother's pale gaze to her left wrist where the beads, usually polished to glinting black but now dull with dirt and blood, rested. "Oh, yeah, these; I've had them pretty much forever."

Still smiling nostalgically, Hinata nodded and said, "I gave them to you on the night you were born; just before your father took you."

Mariko was studying the beads with her silver eyes as she toyed with them distractedly. "What's gonna happen to me, now?" she asked suddenly, turning her eyes on her mother.

"I don't know," Hinata said quietly. "You're still a prisoner of the village, so I can only assume that they're planning on keeping you here until you recover and then they'll take you back to prison."

"I figured," the girl smirked darkly, turning her focus back to her beads.

Suddenly, a blond head popped into the room. "Hey, I just wanted to check on…Hinata? What are you doing here?"

Mariko and Hinata had both looked up when Naruto had spoken. But while Mariko had managed a tiny smile for the man who had been so kind to her thus far, Hinata had paled slightly. This didn't go unnoticed by Mariko.

"Do you two know each other?" she asked, not caring which one answered.

"We're married," Naruto said, his eyes never leaving his wife.

Mariko's jaw nearly dropped, but she was able to clench it tightly shut and keep her composure. Apparently, her step-father didn't know about her; she was very interested to see how this would turn out. She sat quietly, her silver eyes darting back and forth between the two, waiting for her mother to respond.

"Uh, Naruto, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Hinata said slowly.

He nodded and Hinata stood up and walked with him out into the hallway, making sure to close the door behind them.

Mariko frowned at being left out and glared down at her pink blanket for a second, before sliding the fingertip sensor off of her finger and throwing her legs over the side of the bed; she had bandages on her ankles too. She cautiously tested her legs, making sure that they would support her, before taking a hold on her IV stand and wheeling it over to the door as she slowly shuffled to it. She silently cracked it open just enough so that she could hear the voices coming from her mother and her step-father in the hallway.

"Hinata, what's going on?" Naruto asked. "How do you know that girl?"

"How do _you_ know her?" Hinata asked a little testily.

"I brought her here; she's the prisoner that we took during the Akatsuki attack." He explained, unaware that she already knew this, "Now please, answer me."

"She's…" Hinata looked at her husband; he didn't look angry or annoyed, just tired and confused and frustrated. _I have to tell him, I can't keep this from him any longer; he's suffered enough for it_. She took a breath before saying, with amazing calm, "She's my daughter," immediately steeling herself for whatever response might come her way.

Naruto didn't speak; he didn't even breathe. Had he seriously just heard her right? Did he honestly just hear his wife say that the girl in that room, the daughter of a criminal, a prisoner of the village, was her child?

"But…she's…she's Uchiha Itachi's daughter…" he finally managed to stutter out, his face blank, unsure of which emotion to display.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, and she's also my daughter."

"But…but that would mean that you and…_Itachi_…when...how…?" He couldn't even form an entire question.

Hinata could see bewilderment and hurt in Naruto's clear blue eyes; it pained her. She moved closer to him, taking the sides of his face in her hands and looking into his eyes. "I really don't want to talk about this here, but I promise you, I will explain everything when we get home. Why don't you go on ahead and I'll say good-bye to Mariko? Kakashi is with the kids."

Naruto just nodded; he couldn't think of any other response. Hinata lowered her hands and watched his retreating form as he walked away from her, down the hall. She sighed and reentered Mariko's room.

Somehow, the girl had managed to hobble painfully but quickly back to her bed and get herself all resituated before her mother came back in. She looked at her mother with her silver eyes glinting, feigning innocence. "So what's up?" she asked as if she had no idea.

"I have to go right now; Naruto and I have some things that we need to talk about," Hinata replied.

Mariko nodded understandingly. "Yeah, sure. Well, I'll still be here, unless of course, my bastard uncle and that Neji jerk come and take me back to that dungeon for more 'interrogation'," She did some finger quotes around the last word.

"I'm so sorry about that," Hinata said.

Mariko shrugged. "It's not your fault."

"I know, but since Neji is my cousin, I feel somewhat responsible."

"Ha! I knew he was related to you somehow! You two have the same eyes," Mariko said.

Hinata was glad that her daughter hadn't gone into another fury-filled shouting episode, and she thought she even saw Mariko give her a tiny smile when she waved good-bye to her, promising to come back and see her later.

_So,_ Mariko thought to herself, once she was alone again, _Neji is a relative too, huh? I have such kind and loving family members here in Konoha; I can see why Dad didn't want me meeting any of them._

* * *

Kakashi had long gone and the children were out playing with their friends when Hinata got back to her house. Naruto had made tea and was sitting at the kitchen table, staring down into his teacup with an unreadable expression on his face. He didn't even look up when Hinata entered, poured herself a cup of tea and sat down across from him.

She stared at him for a few moments. "So," she began, "I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?"

He nodded, but still didn't look up. She bit her lip nervously, unsure of where to start.

"When did all this happen?" he asked suddenly, turning his face to her at last.

"I met Itachi when I was fifteen, in the forest. He fell out of a tree and dislocated his shoulder, and I had to help him pop it back into place." She said.

"And your daughter, when did she come?" Naruto pressed, watching her face carefully to see if she was telling him the truth.

"When I was sixteen," Hinata answered. "You remember that summer? How I didn't go swimming ever, even though everyone else did and even though I love the water. I was pregnant that summer; Mariko was born the night of the Akatsuki attack."

Suddenly struck with a terrible idea, Naruto leaned in and asked seriously, "Hinata, Itachi didn't…_force_ you to…?"

"No," Hinata cut him off quickly. "No, he was always very gentle and careful with me."

"So then, all those times you went to the woods, you were going to see him?"

"Only some of the time; I'd been going to the woods for a long time before I met him."

"And…after we were married…you still went to the woods a lot," he seemed afraid to ask the question that was now eating away at him, "Did you see him then too?"

"No. I haven't seen him since the night Mariko was born and he took her away with him." She answered flatly, a little put-off that he would even ask that question; still though, it wasn't as if she had been totally honest with him up to this point, so she couldn't hold it against him.

He looked like he wanted to believe her more than anything, but there was some slight doubt in the back of his mind that wouldn't stop nagging at him.

She saw this and gave him a small, reassuring smile. She reached across the table to place one of her hands on his. "I know what a shock this must be to you, but I want you to know that I put that life behind me when we got married," she said. "I love you and I love our children and I would never do anything to hurt any of you. But Mariko is my child too. I can't just leave her alone, especially now, when she's wounded and has no one else to look after her."

Naruto sighed heavily. He quickly downed the remaining contents of his teacup and slid his chair back, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Hinata asked, unable to restrain the slightly panicked tone in her voice.

"I'm going to talk to the Hokage." He replied.

* * *

"That's impossible, Naruto, she's a prisoner of the village, part of the Akatsuki for Kami's sake, she can't just be allowed to run around the village freely," Tsunade tried to reason with the blonde ANBU, who was standing in front of her.

"She won't be 'running around freely'," he protested, "I'll keep an eye on her. Besides, she's still recovering right now; I highly doubt that she'll pose any major threat."

The blonde woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, but it's not a risk I'm willing to take. I cannot, in good conscience, let someone who less than a week ago, attacked our village and killed and injured our people, walk around freely. Even though I have the utmost faith in your abilities as a 'prisoner-sitter', I just couldn't do it; she's Uchiha Itachi's daughter, after all."

Naruto walked closer until he was against the desk that separated them, and even then, he leaned in so that he could get closer to the woman on the other side. His crystal blue eyes bore into her light brown ones. "Lady Hokage," he said, "I will not allow my step-daughter to be kept chained up in a filthy, dark prison where she is beaten nearly senseless by her own family members. Now, I will ask you again: will you release her into the care of me and my wife?"

Tsunade sighed with exhaustion and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. Naruto had already explained the girl's origins to her, and the sheer unexpectedness of it had left her with a severe headache. "Sasuke and Neji would never forgive me, you know," she said.

"I can deal with them," Naruto reassured her.

The Hokage looked up at him with a deathly serious expression. "Fine then, I'll let you take her and look after her on one condition…"

Naruto waited and listened.

"She has to wear this," Tsunade pulled something out of her desk drawer; it was a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a long-tailed bird, a phoenix, hanging on it. "It works sort of like a tracking device," she explained, "The girl wears it and it'll not only suppress her chakra flow, but it will also let you keep tabs on where she is."

Naruto took the silver pendant, looking at it thoughtfully. "But she doesn't really use chakra-based attacks; what good will it do to cut off her chakra flow?"

"She's able to keep up her physical strength because she rarely uses her chakra, and when she does, it's in small doses. But if her chakra is drained, then her body has to work to replenish it, and that will draw away from her physical strength; so really, we're killing two birds with one stone."

He nodded understandingly; it seemed a little cruel to render the girl helpless, but then again, it was a lot better than the alternative. "Alright, I'll do it." He agreed.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tsunade asked seriously, her brown eyes softened. "You have your own kids to think of."

But Naruto didn't hesitate when he nodded. "It means a lot to Hinata; and besides, my kids are her siblings, they should get to meet each other. She should know that not all of her relatives are out to see how badly they can hurt her."

* * *

"I'm going _where_?" Mariko asked disbelievingly.

Naruto was standing next to the silver-eyed girl's hospital bed; he had just broken the news to her that she would be living with his family.

"You're coming to live with your mother and me and your siblings," he said again.

"I-I have siblings?" she asked. When she was younger, Mariko had often wished for a brother or sister who was close to her in age. She loved having her "uncles" to play with, but there was something about having a playmate that was your own age, someone who saw things on the same level as you did and understood everything that you did and said, no matter how ridiculous or unlikely it seemed.

Naruto nodded in response to her question. "You have two younger brothers and a younger sister."

The girl shrugged. "Cool, I guess. So when are we going?"

"We can go today, if you feel up for it."

"Oh, believe me, I am so ready to get outta here! This one doctor with ridiculous pink hair keeps coming in here and chatting me up like we're buddies and it's getting old."

Naruto chuckled. "That would be your aunt, Sakura. She's married to your uncle Sasuke."

Upon hearing the name of her father's brother and her recent torturer, Mariko frowned slightly. "I knew there had to be a reason I didn't like her."

"She's not so bad; I actually had a crush on her myself, back in the day."

"Well, I'm glad that you upped your standards," she replied.

Naruto just smiled and handed her some clothes.

Mariko had grown rather fond of the blond ANBU in the short time she had known him. Not only was she grateful to him for defending her when she was sick, but also for talking to her like she was just a normal girl and not a prisoner, for inviting her into his home to live amongst his family, and most of all, for not hating her because of who she was. She could understand why her mother loved him.

She glanced down at the articles of clothing that he had handed to her. "These aren't mine," she said, holding up a black t-shirt.

"They're Hinata's," Naruto explained. "Your clothes were pretty trashed, so we just got rid of them. Sorry if you're mad about it."

Mariko shrugged and shuffled into the bathroom, holding the clothes and closing the door behind her. "So Sasuke and Sakura are married and they have a son?" she called out to Naruto, who was uninterestedly inspecting one of the watercolors on the wall.

"They actually have two sons, Kai and Zatoichi," he replied.

"Are they nice or are they annoying little bastards like their parents?" she inquired.

Naruto laughed. "Well, they're good kids. Kai can be a little cold and edgy sometimes because his father puts a lot of pressure on him, and Zatoichi occasionally gets upset because he thinks that Sasuke doesn't care about him as much as he does about Kai. But Sakura is a good mother and she's there to talk to them or do whatever she does to make them feel better. For the most part, they're really happy, easy-going kids."

Mariko had been listening intently to her step-father's description of her cousins; she wondered if it would be worth it to try and meet them.

"Do I have any other relatives that I should know about?" she asked as she slipped into a pair of loose, gray-blue cargoes.

"Let's see, you know Neji…"

"Unfortunately," Mariko muttered.

"There's Tenten, his wife and their son Keiji. Then there's Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister, and Hiashi, her father."

Mariko exited the bathroom fully clothed. "Am I going to meet all of these people?" she asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, sure, if you want to."

"Can I decide later?" she asked, sarcasm edging her words.

The ANBU nodded. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Mariko nodded her head affirmatively.

They were about to exit the room when Naruto suddenly remembered the pendant that he had agreed to make Mariko wear while she was living with him. "Oh, hang on a sec! I have something to give you," he rustled through his pocket for a second; Mariko waited, watching him with curious eyes. "Here it is!" He held the pendant up so that the girl could see it.

"Um, thanks…what's it for?" Mariko asked, poking the silver bird, making it swing back and forth on its chain.

Naruto considered telling her that it was just a little gift that he and Hinata had picked out for her, hoping that she would see that it meant that they were truly happy to have her with them…but then he thought that it would be a bad idea to begin their relationship, already on the rocks, with a lie.

"It's something that the Hokage insists that you wear while you live here; it has chakra-suppressing powers."

Mariko drew back from the necklace as though it had just turned into a venomous snake or something equally repulsive. "Why?" she demanded.

"Because she's not comfortable just letting you walk around the village without some way of knowing that you're being kept in line," he explained. "Can you really blame her?"

"No, I guess not," Mariko admitted, walking forward again and lifting her hair so that Naruto could clasp the pendant around her neck.

She didn't like the feel of it; it made her feel weak and tired, but she didn't complain. She was sure that Naruto had had a hard time convincing the Hokage to let her be anywhere but prison, and she didn't want to seem ungrateful.

Naruto smiled at her. "Alright, let's go." He led the way out of the room and into the busy hospital hallway; Mariko followed him closely, casting caution-filled glances at the various people who she passed.

At the check in/out desk, Naruto proceeded to tell the receptionist that Mariko was leaving. The woman asked them to wait a minute while she paged Dr. Uchiha. A few moments later, Sakura was hurrying towards them.

"You really feel alright to leave?" she asked Mariko, "You don't feel sick at all?"

Mariko shook her head.

"Okay then, it was nice meeting you Mariko. I'll try to bring the boys by sometime soon to meet you." She smiled at the stoic young girl.

Mariko just stared back, her silver eyes impassive; she thought it strange that her uncle, who seemed very much like her father in personality, would have chosen to marry and produce offspring with this woman who seemed to be his opposite in more ways than one.

"That sounds good, Sakura. I'll tell Hinata and we'll try to set something up; we can try to get Tenten and Keiji over too." Naruto responded, since Mariko didn't. He could see that she was uneasy standing around in the middle of the busy hospital and that Sakura's enthusiasm wasn't helping her. He put his arm protectively around Mariko's shoulders and quickly ushered her from the hospital.

Mariko was startled by Naruto's sudden movement; she was even more surprised at herself for tolerating him, but she felt strangely comfortable with him. She thought that it was probably because when she had been sick and semi-hallucinatory, she had thought he was Deidara, and since then, she kept finding little things that made them alike in her mind.

She wondered about her siblings: what they looked like, what their personalities were like…things like that. Naruto had already told her that they were a lot younger than she was. He said that Kai, being fifteen, was the closest to her in age, followed by his brother, Zatoichi.

Mariko found herself wondering what it would have been like if the tables had been turned and Kai or Zatoichi was captured by the Akatsuki, instead of her being caught by Konoha. Would her father have been as ruthless towards one of his nephews as Sasuke was to his niece? Would Deidara have been kind to them like Naruto was being kind to her? Would Leader have let the boys reside anywhere in the hideout besides the dungeon, like the Hokage had, or would he leave them alone in the dark? She thought that the last one was the easiest to answer: of course Leader would leave them there to rot!

She sighed; she still missed her father and the others terribly and she still dreamt of them when she slept. The pain of being without them, without their comforting familiarity, was weighing heavily on her heart, threatening to overtake her. She was feeling a little better now that Naruto and Hinata were showing her some kindness and she wasn't alone against the rest of the village, but it was mostly ineffective in filling the massive hole that was cut out of her.

Naruto heard her mournful sigh and turned his crystal blue eyes on her. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked, his voice holding genuine concern.

The girl briefly met her step-father's eyes before nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine," she managed to choke out.

The blond wasn't convinced, but he decided not to press the girl further.

* * *

A sort of gloomy depression had settled over the hideout in the days since Mariko had been taken away. Everyone felt the gaping emptiness that was caused by her absence.

Itachi had been walking around in a sort of daze, when he was walking around at all. He rarely came out of his daughter's room except to get something to eat, and even that was an irregular occurrence. The Uchiha's face, normally devoid of emotion, was unable to hide the misery and loss that he felt.

Deidara, normally very sociable and talkative, was more withdrawn now. He could often be found staring out of a window, seemingly waiting for the girl's return, or else getting lost in the space of an empty room, as though expecting her to materialize out of thin air.

Perhaps the one with the least outward change was Hidan. However, when he was alone doing his rituals, with no one else watching, he tried desperately to replace his emotional pain with physical pain. In the years that he had been a servant of Jashin, he had grown accustomed to the hurt that he inflicted on himself every day, so much so, that he rarely even felt it anymore. But now that he was looking for an outlet for the aching in him that was not caused by any external injury, he was forced to resort to more extreme measures. He made sure that every time he even thought of the silver-eyed girl, he had some sharp, lethal object within reach to use on himself. And he didn't stop until he felt any trace of sadness or longing seep out of him with the rivers of blood that ran from his body. He didn't understand; he had told himself over and over that he didn't love her. He had told _her_ that he didn't love her. So then why did he feel like a part of him had been brutally ripped away and he could never again be complete without it? Why did his heart ache whenever he pictured her face, so that he had to stab and tear at his flesh until the physical pain was nearly blinding, before he was able to feel any sort of relief? It made no sense.

* * *

_I don't get you…_

_I can't forget what you've forgotten_

_all along_

_I've never been so alone_

_--"Don't Cry Out"_


	17. Feel It In Your Heart

**Hello everyone! So, so sorry for the uber-late update...I have been through the week from hell!!! Finals and chemistry are evil, evil things :O But, they're over now! Hurrah!!! And thanks to the combined powers of coffee, chammomile tea, awesome roomies, rockin' musicand fanfics, I am still alive!!! OMG!**

**I want to thank HopeoftheForgotten not only for being an awesome reviewer, but for the song recommendation as well! Thanks! You rule!!! If anyone else has song ideas that they think would be good for this story, I am open for requests! **

**So, here's chapter 16 for ya! Enjoy and R&R!!! **

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Feel It In Your Heart" by Cold; End Credits: "Pieces" by Sum 41; Others: "Strange and Beautiful" by Aqualung, "Song For A Winter's Night" by Sarah McLachlan, "Get Out Alive" by Three Days Grace, "Breathe You In" by Thousand Foot Krutch, "Scars" by Papa Roach (damn, that's a lot of music!)**

__

* * *

_**Feel It In Your Heart**_

_Feels like I'm torn apart_

_And I cannot bleed_

_Caught in the web you made_

_This just can't be real_

_I am so far away from gone_

_I just wanna be here_

_Everyone falls apart in this tragedy_

_--"Feel It In Your Heart"_

* * *

"We're here!" Naruto called, stepping across the threshold of the front door and into the tiny hallway that opened up into the spacious living room.

Mariko's feet kept her rooted to the ground just outside of the door, but she tentatively poked her head in and looked around with curiosity in her silver eyes.

It was literally seconds later that a shrill screech was heard followed by pounding footsteps up above. Naruto just smiled and shook his head; Mariko was genuinely convinced that they were keeping a herd of pygmy elephants upstairs.

"Daddeeeeeee!!!" A little girl with long, dark hair came running at them and flung herself into Naruto's arms. He caught the girl easily, and Mariko figured that he was very practiced at catching small, flying girls in midair.

The little girl threw her arms tightly around his neck and scrunched her eyes shut while a huge smile stretched across her pretty face. Two boys also skidded to a stop and hurled themselves at Naruto's legs, the bigger one with golden hair taking the right leg, while the little one with black hair took the left.

"Hi guys! Did you behave for mom while I was gone?" Naruto asked, grinning.

The three nodded their heads eagerly. Suddenly, the little girl noticed Mariko standing in the doorway.

"Daddy, who is that lady and why is she standing outside?"

The two boys' heads shot up and their eyes turned in Mariko's direction, their gazes inquisitive. The older girl took an involuntary step back.

Remembering that his step-daughter was there, Naruto set his daughter down and lifted each of his sons off of his legs. He turned to Mariko and gestured for her to come into the house, which she did in slow, cautious steps, until she was facing the three little kids who were standing in a line, staring up at her.

"Kids, this is someone very special. This is your big sister, Mariko. Mariko, this is your brother, Hachi," He pointed to the biggest kid with the golden hair and blue eyes, "Your sister, Sayuri," Then to the little girl, "And your brother, Jiro," he concluded, pointing to the smallest one with black hair and blue eyes.

None of them said a word; they just stared at each other.

"Where's mom?" Naruto asked his three children.

"Upstairs," Hachi replied without tearing his eyes from his half-sister.

"Okay, well I want you three to show Mariko around a little bit while I go and talk to mom, alright?" He disappeared around a corner, leaving the tiny trio and the seventeen-year-old to themselves.

Mariko had no idea what to say to the kids and she was feeling extremely uncomfortable; she was actually considering chasing down Naruto and attaching herself to him. She kicked herself mentally. _Snap out of it! They're the kids, not you! Just say something so that they stop staring!_

She cleared her throat. "So…nice place," she said, glancing around.

"Are you really our sister?" The short boy with black hair asked.

"Um…well, I'm your half-sister."

"You look whole to me," the girl – Sayuri? – piped up.

"Aren't new sisters and brothers supposed to be littler than us?" the tiny one wondered.

"Uh…"

"How old are you anyway?" The oldest one, Hachi, demanded.

"Seventeen," At least she had the answer for something.

She was just wishing that she could bolt out of the house and head for the woods at that moment, when she was rescued from her interrogators by Naruto and her mother.

Hinata strode up to her and put her arms around her in a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're here Mariko. Naruto told me everything."

Mariko was too shocked to return the hug, so she just stood rigidly, waiting to be released and keeping an eye on her siblings at the same time; she didn't trust the looks in their eyes.

Finally, Hinata let her oldest daughter go. "I see you've met your brothers and sister," she said, smiling.

Mariko nodded mutely, noticing that the three crowded protectively around their mother as she spoke. She narrowed her silver eyes slightly, letting them know that she was onto them and whatever conniving ideas were in their little heads.

"You want me to make some tea or something?" Naruto asked his wife.

She nodded. "Yeah, that would be great. I'll show Mariko where she'll be sleeping."

The silver-eyed girl followed her mother as she led her though the simple, spacious house and up a flight of stairs. She noticed that the three young children followed at a distance like stalking wolves.

"I'm afraid we don't have a guest room, so if you don't mind, you'll share with Sayuri. She'll be so excited to have you," Hinata reassured her eldest daughter.

"Uh huh, I'm sure," Mariko said distractedly as she studied the room that Hinata opened the door to.

It was shade of soft pink, with white on the edges and white, lacy curtains across the one window. The bed was covered with a fluffy white comforter and a wooly, pink afghan lay folded on the end of it; a few stuffed animals sat against the pile of pillows at the head of the bed.

The rest of the room was virtually spotless. There were a few toys lying on the floor, but compared to the disarrayed state that Mariko's room had constantly been in when she was around Sayuri's age, it looked immaculate.

"So, where do I actually sleep?" she asked.

"Oh, Naruto said he would bring up the air mattress that we keep in the hall closet later."

Mariko nodded understandingly, still looking around the room with scrutinizing silver eyes. She made mental notes of where pieces of furniture and big toys and other objects were so that she wouldn't trip if she got up in the middle of the night.

"Tea's ready!" Mariko heard her step-father call up the stairs.

Hinata smiled as she ushered Mariko out of the pink room and back down the stairs to the kitchen. She accepted the mug of steaming, fragrant tea that was handed to her, inhaling the sweet-smelling steam before taking a cautious sip, not wanting to burn her mouth.

The three kids were now nowhere to be seen, which made the Uchiha girl uneasy. She figured that they were probably waiting in the shadows to pounce on her as soon as she was alone and let her guard down. She wanted to ask where they had gone, but she didn't want to make it obvious that she was intimidated by her younger half-siblings, so she remained silent, sipping her tea.

Luckily, Hinata also noticed the absence of her three youngest children. "Naruto, where did Sayuri and the boys go?"

"Keiji stopped over and they all went to the Inuzukas'. Something about new puppies over at their place…I don't know. I told them to be back before dark," he replied.

The silver-eyed girl's sigh of relief that her siblings were not stalking her was almost audible. She didn't know why they intimidated her so much, but she felt that it had something to do with being the stranger on their home turf. If they had shown up in the Akatsuki hideout, then she, no doubt, would have been the intimidating one.

The three finished their tea in nearly complete silence; Hinata had tried on several occasions to break it with simple questions, aimed at both her husband and her daughter, which should have ignited some sort of small talk, but eventually failed.

Mariko felt far too awkward and out of place to be much of a conversationalist, plus, she was still busy trying to analyze her siblings and figure out where their weaknesses lay.

Naruto had finished his tea and was leaning back in his chair with his arms resting contentedly behind his head when a knock was heard at the front door. He got up and opened it, revealing Sasuke's large figure lounging easily on the doorstep.

"Hey Sasuke, what's up?" Naruto greeted his friend.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Can I talk to you?"  
"Sure," Naruto waited; Sasuke didn't say anything. "Well?"

"Not here, idiot," Sasuke rolled his black eyes. "Come outside and shut the door."

"Oh, okay," Naruto did as he was instructed. He turned to face the ANBU captain. "So, what's going on?"

"I just came from speaking with the Hokage," Sasuke began, "She said that you were keeping the prisoner in your home and that your _wife_ is her mother," he paused, "Is that true?"

"Which part?" Naruto replied tersely; he didn't like the tone that Sasuke was taking.

"All of it."

"Yeah, it's true…all of it."

Sasuke let out an amazed grunt of laughter and shook his head. "I swear, I will never know how Itachi lives with himself, messing with a girl's mind like that, knocking her up and then taking the kid, only to abandon it here…what? Fifteen, sixteen years later."

"Seventeen," Naruto said.

"Real nice," muttered the Uchiha.

"You're one to criticize kindness, Sasuke. If I remember correctly, your beatings put her in the hospital."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "If she hadn't been so damn stubborn, that wouldn't have had to happen."

A smirk crept across Naruto's face. "Would you expect her to be any other way? Would you expect either of your boys to give in that easily?"

A bitter smile crossed the ANBU captain's face. "Touché."

Both his and Naruto's eyes were drawn to the doorway when they heard a slight shuffling sound; Mariko stood in the doorway, her silver eyes flashing with loathing for her uncle.

His smile contorted into a sort of malicious grin as he held a hand out to her invitingly. "Come here, girl."

Mariko was hesitant, but she wasn't afraid as she walked out of the house and stopped, facing the two men, one light and the other dark.

Sasuke immediately began to circle her, letting his eyes run over her in an inspecting manner; Mariko remained still.

Finally, Sasuke stopped in front of her and used one hand to tilt her face to his, looking deep into her eyes.

"Interesting," he mumbled, "So that's what you get when you mix black and white."

Mariko slapped his hand away; she didn't like the firm grip he had on her and she didn't like the way he was appraising her like she was some sort of new breed of animal. "What, you didn't get a good enough look when I was chained up in prison?" she asked bitterly.

The elder Uchiha grinned again before snatching up the girl's wrist and twisting it behind her back so that she was forced down on one knee. It happened so quickly that Mariko was unable to respond. She inwardly cursed herself for giving him such an easy opening. She growled in frustration, causing her uncle to laugh.

"The Hokage also informed me of her… incapacitated state," he said over his shoulder to Naruto, who was looking on with concern.

Mariko was angry now; she shifted slightly so that her weight rested securely on her knee before lashing out with her leg at her uncle.

It was a weak hit, but she managed to get him in the back of the knee, causing him to go down into the same position that she was in. They were eye to eye, black to silver, stares locked.

Naruto wanted to break up the stare-down, but he was a little afraid to, fearing that one or both of the moody Uchihas would strike out at him if he got involved. He knew how unpredictable they could be.

"Sasuke! What are you doing?!"

Mariko had already come to recognize that voice in her short stay in Konoha. Both black Uchiha heads turned to behold the pink-haired speaker.

Sakura was holding a small bag of groceries. _She must have stopped on her way home from work,_ Sasuke thought. She had a curious expression on her face, a little worry line creasing her brow and a tinge of panic in her emerald eyes. _Oh hell_…

"Dad…?"

Sasuke's eyes went from his wife to his youngest. _Where the hell did he come from?!_

Zatoichi took in the scene before him; his father was on his knees in the dirt – which in itself was something rarely seen – twisting back the arm of a girl who looked strangely like him.

Mariko's silver eyes roamed over the boy's form; this wasn't the same cousin from before…Kai, her uncle had called that one. _This must be the younger one then…what the hell was his name?_

Sasuke got up, still gripping his niece's arm as he hauled her to her feet as well. "Zatoichi, this is your cousin…" he trailed off when he realized that he _still_ didn't know her name.

Mariko looked at the young boy through the pieces of jet hair that had fallen across her eyes.

"Cousin…?" Zatoichi seemed confused.

"That's right. You see, I have an older brother, who I don't talk about very often because he's a traitor and a murderer and the reason why you only have one set of grandparents," Sasuke rambled as if teaching his son about something as simple as the changing of seasons or the reason the sky is blue.

"Sasuke!" Sakura said, slightly appalled that he would choose this time and place to tell his son about his family's bloodied past.

"And this," he held Mariko up by the wrist that he clutched, "Is my brother's daughter. She's a spitting image of him, except for those eyes, which are a perfect mix of his and her mother's."

Mariko was not only angry now, but embarrassed as well, which only made her angrier. She thrashed in her uncle's grip, but he had a tight, unyielding hold on her. She cursed the phoenix necklace; if she had possessed all of her strength, she had no doubt that she would have been able to free herself.

She settled for looking over her younger cousin; he looked very much like his older brother. He had the same black hair - an Uchiha trait - and vibrant green eyes, which she now understood must have come from their mother. The boy kept looking from his father to her to his mother to Naruto, as if seeking some sort of verification to his father's words.

Mariko gave him a little ghost of a smile.

"Sasuke, stop this," Sakura said quietly, focusing her big emerald eyes on her husband.

"What's going on?" Hinata's big, white eyes were shocked as she took in the scene before her. "Sasuke, what are you doing?"

"I was just introducing your daughter to her cousin," he explained, as though he was going about doing such an ordinary thing in the "correct" manner.

"Let her go," Although quiet, Hinata's voice held a high degree of authority.

The ANBU captain released his niece's wrist and she fell to her knees in the dust. Hinata rushed forth and grabbed her daughter's shoulders.

"Are you okay?" she asked, brushing back one of the long pieces of hair that fell in Mariko's face.

Sakura hurried to where the mother and daughter sat, passing her husband as he walked in the opposite direction. Zatoichi was following her, interested in his newfound cousin, but paused when his father called for him.

The boy looked back and forth between his parents, unsure of whom to go to; Sakura smiled and nodded, assuring her son that it was fine to go with his father. Zatoichi nodded in response and trotted after Sasuke.

"Hinata, I'm so sorry," Sakura apologized. "I can't believe he actually did that. I'm so embarrassed."

"I'm fine," Mariko said sullenly, rubbing her wrist, which was starting to bruise slightly.

"I don't know why he has to act so terrible about this," Sakura was still in apologetic mode, "You would think that it was Itachi they were letting walk around."

Mariko's eyes flashed red for a second upon hearing her ditzy aunt speak her father's name. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked challengingly.

Sakura stuttered, "N-nothing. I just m-meant that…"

"Never mind," Hinata interjected, standing and helping her daughter up to her feet as well. She knew how defensive Mariko still was with the rest of her family and how protective she was of Itachi and the Akatsuki.

"Hn." The silver-eyed girl brushed off her dusty knees and hands and went to stand with Naruto. She turned when she heard high-pitched voices and the sound of miniature elephants stampeding.

The Uzumaki children came racing down the street with Hachi and Hyuuga Keiji in the lead and Sayuri and Jiro hand-in-hand close behind. The four kids halted upon reaching the group of adults; they were dirty, panting and smiling.

Mariko quirked her head at the sight of the newcomer, studying him closely; it didn't take her long to speculate on his parentage: he had the Hyuuga eyes and the same dark brown hair as Neji.

"Neji wouldn't happen to be that kid's dad, would he?" she whispered to Naruto.

The blond nodded. "Yeah, and Tenten is his mom. She's pretty cool; I think you'll like her."

"Not if she's anything like Miss Powderpuff over there," Mariko nodded in Sakura's direction; she was busy conversing with Hinata.

"Don't worry, she's quite the opposite," Naruto assured her.

"Dad!" Hachi came over to stand before his father and sister. "Is Zatoichi or Kai here?"

Naruto smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "Sorry son, Zatoichi left with his dad and Kai is probably off training somewhere."

Hachi's face fell at hearing that his friends weren't around.

"Who are you?" a voice demanded.

Mariko looked down at Neji's son, who was glaring up at her impudently.

She frowned. "Who are you?"

"I asked you first."

"I'm older than you."

"So?!"

"So, I can tell you what to do, you little punk. Now tell me your name."

The boy crossed his arms and hmphed as he glared daggers at his cousin. "I'm Hyuuga Keiji, from the Hyuuga clan," he finally said.

"I'm not stupid, I know what clan you're from," Mariko retorted.

Keiji rolled his white eyes. "Are you from a clan that's as awesome and powerful as the Hyuugas?"

Mariko smirked. "Actually, I'm from _two_ apparently amazing clans, one of which is the Hyuuga," Keiji clenched his jaw in annoyance. "And the other is the Uchiha."

"Uchiha?! Pff, they're not that great anymore. They were almost completely wiped out," the little boy went on authoritatively.

Mariko's Sharingan seeped into her silver eyes, turning them blood red, as she stooped so that she was on eye-level with the Hyuuga boy. "You'd better watch what you say, kid; my dad is from that clan."

"Sasuke is your dad?! I didn't know that he had a daughter!"

Mariko rolled her eyes. "He doesn't, dummy. He's not my father, Uchiha Itachi is."

Keiji's mouth dropped at this statement. "The Uchiha traitor is your _father_?!"

"Yeah, so?" the older girl snapped.

The pale-eyed boy was about to reply, when he was cut off by Jiro, who pounced on him from behind, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"Keiji, you've met our sister!" he said excitedly.

The little Hyuuga boy's face was even more confused now. "She's your sister? But, how…?"

"Our mama is her mama too!"

Keiji seemed to have an "Ohhhhh…." moment, in which everything finally made sense. He turned suspicious eyes towards Hinata, who was shaking her head at Sayuri's torn dress, but with a smile on her face.

Mariko straightened up; the red was now gone from her eyes. She was ready to go back inside the house, and had just turned to do so, when she felt something attach itself to her leg. She looked down to see Jiro clinging to her like she was some sort of life-supporting device.

"What are you doing?" she asked frostily.

Jiro turned his big blue eyes up to his sister; a wide grin cracked his face. "Mariko, will you take us to the park and play with us?"

"Uh, no," the girl tried to subtly shake her youngest sibling from her limb, but he held on like a bulldog.

"Please? We really wanna go!"

Mariko felt heat in her cheeks when she saw Hinata, Naruto and Sakura watching her exchange with the small boy. "No!" she hissed, "Get your dad or mom to take you!"

"But I want you to take us!"

"Yeah! Please, Mariko!" Sayuri had come running over and was tugging on her sister's hand as she jumped up and down impatiently.

"No! I hate the park!" Mariko's attempts at removing her hand from the girl's vice-like grip were proving to be unsuccessful.

Sayuri laughed. "Nobody hates the park!" She said it as though Mariko had just made a very funny joke.

"I do." The older girl muttered. "So let go."

"Park! Park! We wanna go to the park!" Sayuri began chanting.

Jiro soon joined in, followed by Hachi and Keiji who were jumping and dancing around her like savages.

Mariko's silver eyes searched the faces of the three adults standing idly by, looking for some sort of escape, but she found none; they had gone back to talking amongst themselves. Apparently, they were well-practiced in the art of ignoring their begging children.

_It's probably so much easier when it's not them that the brats are bothering!_ She thought venomously. _I __will__ get them back for this._

Unable to take the screaming, chanting, pleading voices of the children any longer, Mariko finally screamed, "ALRIGHT! Alright, you win! I'll go to the stupid park!"

"Yaaaaaayyyyy!!!" A chorus of cheers was heard from the four little ones.

Hachi and Keiji took off again, presumably in the direction of the park. Sayuri kept a hold on Mariko's left hand, while Jiro detached himself from her leg, only to grab her right hand and help his sister in dragging her along.

The older girl threw one last, smoldering look at her aunt, mother and step-father before allowing herself to be led forward by her siblings.

* * *

"This is a park?" Mariko asked as she took in the scene before her. There were a couple of wooden-plank swings hung up from tree branches, two seesaws, a jungle gym and a merry-go-round.

The instant they had arrived, the four kids had scattered like roaches; Keiji and Hachi had gone to the jungle gym and were now playing some sort of game that seemed to consist of each trying to throw the other off the apparatus. Mariko doubted that they played this game when their mothers were present. Sayuri had gone to the swings and Jiro had jumped onto the merry-go-round.

Mariko just stood and watched them, leaning casually against a tree with her arms crossed over her chest. The kids didn't seem quite so intimidating when they weren't focused on her, but she decided that it was best to keep her guard up anyways. She noticed her youngest brother was trying to get the merry-go-round started, running alongside it with his short little legs. It wasn't long before he tripped and went sprawling in the dust.

_Hah, pathetic,_ she thought smugly.

Jiro gave a little cough, followed by a sniffle, and then came a light whimpering.

Mariko rolled her eyes; she did _not_ want the kid to start crying. She pushed off of the tree trunk and lightly jogged over to where he was laying in the dirt. He had big crocodile tears welled up in his sapphire eyes, ready to spill at any second.

Mariko sighed impatiently, "Oh, come on, it's not that bad. When I was your age, I never cried over falling down. Don't be a baby."

This didn't seem to help. The girl squatted down so that she could get on a closer level with the boy. He sniffed again.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, suddenly afraid that if anything was wrong with him, she would be blamed and viewed as an immediate threat and hauled off to prison again.

He shook his head, black hair flopping from side to side as he did.

"Well then, what's the problem?"

"I'm too small," he said in a cracked voice, "I can't make it go fast, like daddy can."

Mariko remembered one time, when she was very small – she couldn't have been much older than Jiro – and she spent almost an entire day trying to reach a tree branch so that she could pretend that she was a monkey climbing a tree. She was exhausted and frustrated and she remembered wiping away angry tears as she tore her fingers on the rough tree bark, trying to claw her way up to the branch.

Her father had come looking for her, because it was almost dinner time, and he had found her panting, sweating and bleeding, still trying to climb that stupid tree. He had smiled, almost sadly, at her, before taking her in his arms and setting her up on the branch and easily climbing up after her. She remembered being so excited that he was going to play with her, for as she had gotten older, he had become less and less available for playing.

Mariko looked at her little half-brother, facedown in the dirt, and a feeling of sympathy washed over her. She silently stood and leaned over, gently picking him up off the ground and setting him on the flat metal of the merry-go-round.

"Hold on," she said softly, managing a little smile for her brother as she clutched one of the bars, preparing to push.

Jiro's face instantly lit up with a wide smile as he scooted to the center of the wheel, wrapping both arms around the bars.

Mariko pushed off the ground and began to run, spinning the wheel as she did so. Jiro began giggling as she got faster and faster, until she was sure that if she went any faster, _she_ would be the one to fall on her face. So, still holding the bar, she jumped and pulled herself onto the metal wheel, watching as the rest of the world flashed by in a blur. She heard her brother's laughter and she couldn't help grinning herself.

When the merry-go-round finally stopped spinning, Mariko was so dizzy that she thought she was going to be sick, but she was still smiling. She looked back at Jiro; the little boy was on his back, still laughing.

"I'm super dizzy!" he said.

Mariko nodded, which was not good for her already-spinning head. "Yeah, me too."

"Can we do it again?" he asked hopefully, sitting up and preparing himself for another ride.

"Uh, okay," Mariko carefully slid off of the metal wheel, testing her legs to make sure she could stand.

"Wait for me!" Sayuri ran over and jumped onto the ride, sliding back so that she could sit next to her little brother.

"Us too!" Hachi and Keiji followed in the same manner as Sayuri.

"Ready?" Mariko asked, once all the kids were secure.

Four little heads nodded in unison; all of them had grins on their faces.

The older girl started running again. It was a little more difficult this time; normally, the added weight wouldn't have bothered her, but since she was low on strength to begin with – thanks to the phoenix necklace – it took her a little longer to get the ride going as fast as it had been the time before.

Just as she had before, when the wheel was spinning too quickly for her to keep up, Mariko jumped onto it to ride it out. The two pieces of hair framing her face were flying wildly in the wind and her eyes were watering. Behind her, she could hear the shrieks of pleasure and the laughter of her siblings and cousin.

* * *

The five continued playing until the sun started its descent into the west, behind the line of trees in the forest.

Finally, when all of the kids were unable to endure any more spinning and Mariko was sure that her legs had been turned into jelly, they headed towards home.

"Mariko, can I have a piggy-back ride?" Jiro turned his blue eyes to his sister imploringly.

"What?! You just got about five thousand rides on the merry-go-round while I did all the work, and _you're_ asking _me_ for a piggy-back ride?! I think that _you_ should be giving _me_ the ride!" She laughed.

Jiro giggled. "I can't, you're too big."

"Oh, thanks a lot," Mariko smiled as she stooped down. "Alright, get on."

The black-haired little boy eagerly scrambled onto the older girl's back, linking his arms around her neck and clamping his legs around her waist.

The seventeen-year-old walked on, with her youngest brother on her back, her sister and brother and cousin at her sides, unaware that they were being watched by the curious eyes of many villagers.

* * *

The three Uzumaki kids had all taken their baths and dressed for bed. Jiro had nearly crushed Mariko in his tiny good-night embrace before allowing Hachi to lead him off to the room that they shared.

Mariko took her time in the shower, reflecting on the day she had just finished. It had been strange, that's for sure. Things had happened so quickly; for instance, she had woken up in a hospital bed this morning and she was going to sleep on an air mattress on her sister's bedroom floor tonight. Her little siblings were closer to evil demon children than human kids when she met them this morning, but now, they didn't seem so bad.

She slipped into her temporary pajamas – a pair of her mother's sweats and one of Naruto's t-shirts – and towel-dried her black hair. She then studied her reflection in the mirror above the sink. The girl that looked back at her was different than the girl that she was accustomed to seeing; she had the same silver eyes and jet hair and pale skin, but there was something different in her expression.

It seemed as though every emotion was showing through at once; she seemed older and wiser at the same time as she seemed young and naïve. She looked happy and sad, understanding and confused, angry and hurt. She was a mess.

She decided that all these conflicting emotions had to do with the fact that everything had been changing so rapidly, and that although she missed her father and her Akatsuki family, she was doing rather well with her Konoha family…except for Sasuke and Neji, obviously.

She liked what she had seen of the village thus far, which wasn't much, but it seemed to be a nice place. She wondered how they had come to have such a foul prison.

Mariko padded across the hallway to Sayuri's room. She quietly opened and shut the door and tiptoed to her bed; her little sister was already asleep.

She settled herself down on the mattress and adjusted the fleecy blanket over her body. She sighed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking and remembering and wondering.

She was thinking about her current situation: living with her mother, step-father and siblings in the village where practically every living relative she had, save for her father, lived.

She was remembering her life up to this point; growing up as a rather wild and happy kid, until the day Hidan had chased her through the forest, and ruined her for four years. She was obviously over her fear of him, and she guessed that she had forgiven her father; she would give anything in the world to see him right now.

She was wondering what her Akatsuki family was doing at the moment; if they were devising plans to come and rescue her, if Leader was holding them back from coming for her, if they had decided to let Konoha keep her.

She wondered what her relatives that she had yet to meet were like: Hanabi, Hiashi and Tenten and technically, Kai, since she had only seen him once and for a brief moment. She wondered if she would ever get along with Sasuke and Neji. She wondered what would happen if she tried to leave the Village.

Mariko fingered the little silver phoenix hanging from her neck. She held it up and, after activating her Sharingan so she could see in the dark, she stared at it. It looked simple enough, _harmless_ enough. Still, she knew better than to underestimate anything that was meant to keep tabs on her, especially if it came from the Hokage.

She looked out the window at the moonlit sky. A few dark, wispy clouds crawled across the dark blue canvas, momentarily hiding the blinking stars. Mariko wanted a clearer view of it; she wanted to see the whole sky.

She tossed aside the blanket and rolled off the air mattress, quietly crawling on her hands and knees past Sayuri's bed, until she reached the window. She then slowly slid it open and leaned out, taking in her location and what was around her. She could easily reach the edge of the roof, however, pulling herself up would be another matter, now that she had only a fraction of her usual strength.

Mariko gingerly slipped out of the open window, re-shutting most of the way before grasping the edge of the roof with both hands and pushing off the window ledge with her feet at the same time as she hoisted herself up with her arms.

She was pleasantly surprised to find that she could still perform such a feat, even in her weakened state, as she sat with her legs hanging over the roof. She stood and made her way up towards the roof's peak, stopping and sitting just beneath the point where the two sides of the roof came together.

The night air was chilly; it was almost September and the season was getting ready to change. Mariko wrapped her arms around her folded up form, glad that Naruto's shirt was big on her and the sleeves came down to her elbows.

She turned her silver eyes up to the moon – it was nearly full – and sighed longingly. She knew that her father loved looking at the moon too; when she was little, they would often sit together on a high tree branch and stare at it for hours on the one night per month when it was full. She wondered if he was looking at it now as well.

Hidan had always reminded Mariko of the moon. With his silvery hair and pale skin, she used to pretend - when she was a child - that he was a moonbeam that had been trapped in human form, which was why he never aged visibly, and he was always so cranky with her because he wanted to go back to the sky. She had felt understanding at the time. Now that she was older, Hidan still reminded her of the moon, but she knew that he was no fallen, trapped moonbeam; she had to admit, she was a little disappointed. She found the whole idea rather sadly romantic.

She sighed again; this time, a little, sad moan escaped her as well. She was still homesick. She still missed Tobi and Deidara and Sasori and Kisame and the others terribly. She still missed Hidan and his foul mouth and his uncaring attitude and his lingering touches and his heated kisses. She still missed her father so badly that it physically pained her to think of him; she felt as though her heart was being battered by a sledgehammer if she allowed her thoughts to linger on him for too long. Hell, it had even hurt looking at Sasuke, they looked so similar and she missed him so much.

Mariko settled on her back with her hands linked behind her head as she began tracing shapes in the stars. The clouds continued to creep across the sky silently, occasionally casting shadows when the moon was covered.

* * *

_This place is so empty_

_My thoughts are so tempting_

_I don't know how it got so bad_

_Sometimes it's so crazy_

_That nothing can save me,_

_But it's the only thing that I have_

_--"Pieces"_


	18. Flames

**Hello everyone! I'm back!**

**Notes before beginning:**

**I'm so sorry about the unusually long wait for the update! My fakey spring break sucked cuz I started a new job and they're having me work like 11 hour shifts!! Lame! Anyways... at least I won't be so broke anymore and I'll actually be able to afford food, yay!**

**Spring quarter classes have started and I must say that they are going to be miserable! Physics, molecular genetics and communications...how awesome is that? Just kill me now and save me the stress, please! T-T**

**I wrote a Kisame & Mariko oneshot (non-romantic) and if you haven't read it already and you want to, go check out my profile! It's kind of a deleted scene from the main story...I think it's pretty cute ;P**

**Finally, I am curious to know if anyone would read a sequel to this story if I were to write one. Mind you, I obviously have to finish this story first, so it would be a little while before it's up, but I have the idea for it and if enough people are interested then I will work on it when I finish this one. So let me know what you think! **

**Hmmm...I think that's all I wanted to say. Hope you enjoy the icky-long chapter and don't forget to review!! Thanks!**

**xAkito: I did threw in the Akatsuki scene for you XD**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Flames" by Vast; End Credits: "I Miss You" by Blink 182; Others: "Half Jack" by Dresden Dolls, "All Fall Down" by One Republic, "Everything We Had" by The Academy Is..., "Let This Go" by Paramore**

* * *

_**Flames**_

_When I am with you_

_There's no reason to pretend_

_That when I am with you_

_I feel flames again_

_--"Flames"_

* * *

He wasn't sure why he continued roaming the forest at night; he knew she wasn't there. He knew he would never find her there, no matter how many times he went back to look. Yet he continued to go, like clockwork, every night; he would slip out of the hideout and calmly walk into the woods. He would spend the entire night walking around aimlessly between the trees, only to return to the lair at dawn.

There had always been an unearthly aura about Uchiha Itachi, but now he was more wraith-like. He was thinner and paler and his Sharingan eyes seemed to burn like red-hot coals in his skull. He was truly a frightening sight for anyone, even the members of the Akatsuki, to behold.

It would have been pitch black out that night if it hadn't been for the full moon overhead lighting everything up with a flood of soft luminescence. Itachi kept to the shadows of the forest though, weaving his way around the pale moonbeams that managed to find their way through the foliage.

He moved slowly but steadily, like a lost soul that was doomed to walk the earth forever. He suddenly became alert when he felt a strong surge of chakra coming from the other side of the clearing that he was edging around. He was used to being alone at these night hours, and so he was very cautious as he made his way to the very line where the shadows met the moonlight and peered across the lit up clearing with blood red eyes.

"Ah, Itachi, it's been a long time," a smooth, venomous voice hissed.

Itachi didn't respond as the speaker stepped forward into the moonlight. The man had long, slick dark hair, a face that was as white as the moon above, a malicious smile and dangerous, yellow eyes: Orochimaru.

Itachi despised the snake-like man with all his heart; he made the Uchiha's skin crawl.

"Now what could you be doing out here in the forest…all alone…at this time of night…hmmm?" Orochimaru pondered out loud, giving Itachi his malevolent grin.

"I could ask you the same thing, Orochimaru. I should warn you that you're treading on dangerous ground here. I would watch my step, if I were you," Itachi's crimson eyes flashed dangerously.

Orochimaru just chuckled; Itachi shuddered involuntarily.

"I heard a rumor just recently, Uchiha, and I wonder if you could shed some light on it as to whether or not it's true. I heard that Konoha was attacked by the formidable Akatsuki a week ago and that they managed to take a prisoner: a girl," Orochimaru paused to catch Itachi's reaction, but he remained as stoic as ever, so the pale man continued. "I hear she has an extraordinary bloodline; one that no one has been able to boast for over two centuries. I find this very interesting; I might have to meet this girl."

At these words, Itachi disappeared and then reappeared just as quickly right in front of Orochimaru, who he grabbed by the throat in a vice-like grip. His eyes burned into the other man's yellow ones.

"You will not go near her," he warned in a low, dangerous voice. "If I get wind that you or any of your people have even glanced, even _breathed_, in her direction, I will kill you and massacre your entire village myself. Do not take my threat lightly; I've done it before, I can do it again."

The reptilian grin that was Orochimaru's response infuriated Itachi and his fatherly instincts rose further up in him. Still clutching him by the throat, Itachi proceeded to use his balled up fist to bash Orochimaru hard in the face.

A trickle of blood ran from the corner of the snake-man's mouth as he turned his evil eyes on his aggressor. "My, my Itachi, I've never seen you get so emotional before; certainly not over a _girl_. If you get this upset just by my talking of her, I wonder what you would be like if I were to seek her out and take her for myself."

This caused Itachi to snap. Not in the same way he had years and years ago, when he had murdered his family; that had been relatively calm. This was like a violent storm that suddenly kicked up out of nowhere and hit with enough force to raze a village to the ground.

He hit Orochimaru…and then hit him again…and again. He pummeled him until his knuckles bruised and bled and until the other man's face was so beaten that he was barely recognizable. Itachi stopped after one final hit, which was enough to tear Orochimaru from his grip and send him to the ground.

Itachi's breathing was a little quicker than normal and he took a moment to stare at the pale man on the ground, who was still grinning madly, despite the severe beating he had just endured. The Uchiha walked over to where Orochimaru lay and knelt down, tightly gripping his throat once more.

"Listen to me, you snake," he snarled, "That girl is the only thing that has kept me from becoming a complete monster all these years; if you do anything to harm her, you may just find yourself facing that monster."

Orochimaru laughed again. "Oh, Itachi, you became a monster long before you ever met me."

"Then prepare for something worse than a monster, because that's what will come for you if you touch her," Itachi's whispered words and the deadly gaze that he was using to stare down the Sound Village leader was enough to cause the grin to fade from Orochimaru's face.

He had seen the unleashed wrath of fathers whose daughters had been harmed, and he knew that it could be a fearsome thing. However, none of those daughters' fathers were Uchiha Itachi; the man who apparently needed no provoking whatsoever to turn on his own blood relatives. Orochimaru actually shuddered inwardly to think about what the man would be capable of if he had a reason to attack him.

Itachi saw from Orochimaru's expression that his point had been made. He released him and stood. "Now get the hell out of here before I decide to end you right now. And stay away from here; if Pein finds you out here, I'm sure that he'll be less than pleased. And you know what he's like when he's unhappy."

Orochimaru rose from the ground and tentatively turned his back on Itachi, retreating slowly into the forest.

Itachi watched the snake-man's disappearing form before turning and continuing his meandering through the woods.

As he walked, Orochimaru thought.

_She must be quite something. Uchiha must actually care about her, for him to get so defensive over her. Now I am thoroughly intrigued; I __must__ pay her a visit._

His crocodilian smile returned to his face as he wiped a stream of blood from his chin.

* * *

Pein was annoyed. He had noticed a serious lag in his organization's energy since the Uchiha girl had been captured during the raid on Konoha. He could understand Itachi's attitude - he was her father, after all – but the rest of them had no business being all mopey and slack off because of it.

He decided to pay his group a little visit and have a "talk" with them.

He poofed out of his office and over to the hideout, turning up right behind Deidara.

"AH! Oh, Sir Leader, you surprised me, un!" the blond said, scratching his head and grinning sheepishly. "What brings you here on this fine day, un?"

Pein turned his spirally gray eyes on the explosion artist. "Deidara, how many times do I have to tell you to not add that stupid 'un' at the end of your sentences?"

"Oh, right, sorry Sir, un! I mean, no un…I mean…oh, _shit_…"

Pein smirked. "Where is everyone else?"

"They're around, Sir."

"Well get them and tell them that we're having a **mandatory **meeting in the living room in five minutes and that anyone who doesn't show up will be very, very sorry."

Deidara snapped to attention like a soldier; he even saluted Pein as he said, "Sir, yes Sir!" and ran off to find the other Akatsuki members.

Pein walked into the shabby and messy living room, where he found Tobi and Zetzu already watching TV. They both looked up with surprise at seeing their leader taking a seat with them in a cushy, beaten recliner. Zetzu nodded to him respectfully before turning his attention back to the television and elbowed Tobi to do the same. He didn't want the masked man to speak to Leader, because he was sure that if he did, Leader would kill him within five seconds.

So Tobi sat, fidgeting on the couch next to the plant man while trying hard to concentrate on the show, which happened to be "Man vs. Wild". Zetzu snickered when Bear Grylls – this time lost in the Amazon jungle – told the audience that he would have to spend the night in the treacherous jungle and that he was worried about leopards.

Pein rolled his eyes and drummed his fingers impatiently on the arm of the chair.

Sasori, Kisame and Kakuzu came in and took seats around the room, acknowledging their leader with a nod and a short greeting.

Soon, Hidan came in, looking absolutely hideous.

"Hidan," Pein said, "Did I interrupt one of your rituals?"

He said it in such a way that Hidan knew he didn't ask because he cared and felt sorry for doing it; he just wanted to rub it in that he had the Jashinist at his beck and call whenever he needed him.

But Hidan shook his silver head, "No, Sir, I was finished."

Pein frowned.

Finally, Deidara returned with Itachi. The blond sat down on the floor and the Uchiha leaned against the wall.

"So Sir, what's this about?" Kisame asked.

"This is about all of you and your ridiculous attitudes since that girl was taken. You're all walking around here like your mothers have just been slaughtered in front of you…except for you, Uchiha; you look like someone besides you has killed your little brother."

Itachi frowned, but said nothing.

Deidara was the one who spoke first, since Zetzu still wasn't letting Tobi speak to Leader. "Sir, we just miss her. She's like a daughter to all of us; we've all watched her grow up."

"Is that so?" Pein narrowed his swirly gray eyes.

Tobi nodded vigorously, not caring how he contributed to the conversation; the other Akatsuki members also nodded in agreement.

"Well, you're all going to have to learn to cope without her. Even if she hadn't been captured, do you think that she would have stayed here forever?" Pein almost laughed cruelly at the shocked expressions of the men in the room; apparently, they had thought that. "She's still young, but eventually, she would have wanted to strike out on her own and make a life for herself. Just think of this as practice for when that time comes."

This made all of them go silent; they just sat there, thinking about what their leader had said and wondering if it was true. Mariko had always seemed so happy there with them; at least until Hidan had freaked her out and she wouldn't speak to Itachi, but even just recently, she had seemed better. No one ever thought that she might want to leave. They just assumed that she was one of them; she had grown up with them, after all.

"I'm going to get her." Itachi's sudden declaration made everyone in the silent room start with surprise.

The group turned their eyes to the Uchiha, still looking as dangerously placid as ever; Tobi clasped his hands hopefully.

And before Zetzu could stop him: "Oh, yes, yes! Bring Mariko back to us! I miss her and no one will play with me! Please Itachi! Pleeeeeeeease!"

Pein's eyes flickered over to Tobi in annoyance before settling on Itachi with a challenging stare.

"Really? That's interesting, Uchiha, since I gave you no order or permission to return to Konoha."

Itachi's red Sharingan eyes met Pein's gray Rinnegan ones in a dead-lock stare. "I found our dear old friend Orochimaru lurking around the woods last night, he knew about Mariko and her Sharingan ability and he seemed to have a strong interest in her. I am **not** going to sit here and wait for him to go to Konoha and get her himself."

"Orochimaru?" Pein looked thoughtful as he rubbed his pierced chin. "What was he doing here?"

"Who knows?" Itachi replied with disgust. "Probably coming to beg us to take him back."

"Why didn't you try to kill him?" Pein asked with a little more malice in his voice.

"Because I was alone and my chakra wasn't at its full strength. I did manage to beat him pretty badly though."

"Well next time, finish the job, Uchiha. As for your little outing to Konoha, the answer is no."

"I didn't ask permission."

Pein couldn't believe the words that had just come from the Uchiha's mouth; Itachi never questioned him – he might not have always agreed with his decisions, but he never flat out refused to obey him.

Pein knew he had to act quickly to show the others that he was intolerant to this kind of blatant disobedience. In one swift, fluid movement that was too fast for the others to follow, Pein moved over to where Itachi stood and viciously struck him across the face.

The Uchiha prodigy was caught off-guard and hit the floor violently – landing on his hands and knees - as some blood sprayed from his mouth and stained the wall and carpet.

Pein had a feral look in his eyes as he stared down his subordinate; Itachi spat up some more blood and glared back, the left side of his face was already beginning to bruise and swell.

The Akatsuki leader was still fuming at Itachi's impudence, and he considered kicking him in the ribs while he was down, but he managed to restrain himself. He did turn his cold stare on the rest of his crew.

Deidara had jumped up in alarm from his spot on the floor when Pein had hit Itachi, Tobi had gasped loudly and put his hands over the place on his mask where his mouth would be, Kisame had started forward with a concerned look but froze when Leader glared at him, and the others' eyes just opened wide in shock.

"Now," Pein growled, "Does anyone else have any objections to my decision?"

Everyone was silent. Itachi started to slowly push himself up off of the floor, which was now stained with a little dark puddle of his blood.

"Good," Pein muttered as he braced his foot between Itachi's shoulder blades and forced him back down to the floor, leaning in close as he whispered, "And don't forget who the leader of this organization is. If you ever go against me again, Uchiha, I will kill you without hesitation." Feeling that his point had been made, Pein turned and walked away, running a hand through his spiky orange hair as he did.

Kisame walked forward and attempted to help his partner off the filthy floor. Itachi roughly shoved him away as he staggered to his feet. He wiped his bloody chin on his sleeve and shot a fearsome look in the direction that Leader had disappeared in.

"Well, that was certainly an _insightful_ talk, un," Deidara said, breaking the silence.

"I don't care what the prick says; I **am** going to get her back," Itachi said in a throaty voice, "Orochimaru is going to try and go after her and he knows where she is. There's no way in hell that I'm letting that snake get his hands on her," he spat again.

"I'll go with you," Kisame said loyally.

"Me too, un!" Deidara said.

"And me! Oh, Itachi! Please tell Tobi that he can come with you! Pleeeeeease!!"

"No, no, and definitely not! I don't need any of you to come with me; the fewer there are in this, the better. In fact, I'm just going by myself; I'll be able to handle it."

He moved swiftly down the hallway to his room to change into a clean shirt – the one he had on had blood all over it – and to get a few things before he left.

He could hear Tobi sniffling and a few of the others complaining that he wasn't going to let them come along to rescue Mariko. He failed to notice that the silver-haired Jashinist had followed him, though. He looked up when he heard Hidan's shuffling step cross over his doorway.

"What do you want?" he asked icily.

"I want to come with you to get her back," he said.

"I said that I was going to do this alone."

"I know, I'm not fucking deaf! However, I think that you should take one other person with you, just in case something happens."

Itachi looked up at him impatiently. "If I took someone with me, Hidan, it sure as hell wouldn't be you. Why do you want to go so badly anyways?"

At this question, Hidan's mouth snapped shut and he averted his violet eyes away from Itachi's questioning ones, completely aware that this was Mariko's _father_ he was speaking to.

He felt stupid; he had been with a few women in his younger years, before he had dedicated his life to serving Jashin, and it had been nice, but there had been absolutely no level of commitment and he sure as hell hadn't had to put up with their overprotective fathers. He knew that he was in a precarious position by being "involved" with Mariko, since he worked with Itachi.

Hidan couldn't just tell Itachi that he had recently figured out that he was in love with his daughter and that was the reason why he wanted to go with him to Konoha to rescue her and bring her back home. Itachi would flay him alive, which would be an extremely long and painful ordeal for the immortal.

Of course, Itachi wasn't stupid either; he knew that there was something going on between his daughter and the priest. He was completely bewildered that it had happened and he wasn't clear on exactly how far the relationship had progressed, but he knew that it was there. He was very amused at the way Hidan was trying to avoid answering the question right now; never in the time he had known him had the Jashinist been rendered tongue-tied like this.

Face void of emotions until now, Itachi actually smirked in amusement at the priest's mildly embarrassed expression. "I suppose you can come," he said quietly, "Just don't tell anyone else. I mean it; I don't need to be dragging Tobi along because the idiot won't let go of my leg."

Hidan's face brightened up a little and he nodded, turning to go and get a shirt and his scythe. Itachi sat down on his bed and rubbed his tired eyes; he hoped that Mariko was alright and that they would make it in time to free her before Orochimaru showed up.

* * *

Itachi and Hidan didn't stop until they almost reached Konoha. They decided to wait on the outskirts of the forest, much in the same location that they had waited in nearly two weeks ago, when they raided the Village.

Hidan wasn't wearing his black war paint this time; they weren't there to pick any fights, just slip in and out, quickly and painlessly, they hoped.

The only problem, they realized, was that they had no idea where Mariko was being kept. Itachi was well aware that things had changed since he had last been in Konoha long enough to see where important places were located. Obviously, structures such as the Hokage tower and the Ninja Academy – too big to be moved – had remained the same; a small prison, however, was not as much of a hassle to relocate.

Hidan ran a hand through his slicked-back silver hair. "So, what's the plan exactly?"

Itachi cleared his throat. "Well, first we have to find her, so until we do, it's strictly surveillance work. Once we find her, we'll develop a more concrete plan of action, based on where she's being kept."

Hidan nodded in comprehension. "Right."

Unfortunately for the two Akatsuki members, it was only a few hours after daybreak and they knew that it was far too risky to move about the village during the light hours; they would have to wait out the entire day until it got dark.

Itachi made himself comfortable in the high branches of a tree; Hidan paced relentlessly on the ground beneath him.

He sighed; this was going to be a long day.

* * *

"You're not allowed to do that."

Mariko's silver eyes scanned her little sister's form as Sayuri stood, hands on her hips with a face that screamed "Attitude!", glaring at her older sister, who had the carton of orange juice tilted up so that she could drink straight out of it.

"This is how I drink, Sayuri," the older girl retorted.

"Why?" her pale eyes were suspicious.

Mariko huffed in exasperation. "Um, because we don't have any cups, okay?" She took another swig of juice.

"Well, daddy will get mad and spank you if he sees you doing that," Sayuri informed her sister.

"Well, _your_ daddy isn't _my_ daddy, so I don't have to listen to him." Mariko childishly stuck her tongue out at Sayuri.

The little girl's smug smirk turned into a pout as she hopped up onto one of the tall stools that sat under the island countertop and watched her big sister as she rummaged through cabinets.

"Where's the cereal?"

"On top of the refrigerator," Sayuri replied.

Mariko glanced up and saw her desired breakfast food. She grinned triumphantly as she snatched the cardboard box and a bowl from the dish rack, filling it with crispy, golden flakes and crunchy clusters of oats, honey and other stuff that's supposed to be good for you.

She added some milk, taking a quick draw from the bottle before placing it back in the fridge and digging into her breakfast. She had barely swallowed two spoonfuls when she heard a low growling sound; Mariko paused, her silver eyes darting back and forth in confusion, searching for the source of the noise.

She heard it again more distinctly and her eyes rested on Sayuri, who was now holding her stomach while looking appetizingly at Mariko's cereal bowl.

Mariko sighed and fixed another bowl of cereal, pushing it in front of her sister, who looked up at her adoringly before proceeding to wolf down the bowl's contents.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Mariko asked before slurping down the rest of the milk and the flakes that had evaded her spoon.

Sayuri shrugged. "Mama said something about visiting grandpa today."

Mariko almost choked on her food. "Really?" she had been told about Hyuuga Hiashi by Naruto, Hinata and her siblings. The thing that had stayed constant through all the descriptions was that he was a very stern and critical man; not that Mariko really cared what he would think of her, whether it was good or bad.

"Well, it should be interesting," she commented, setting her dishes in the sink.

* * *

Sayuri's prediction of the day's activity proved to be right when Hinata came and found Mariko and Sayuri sitting in a big tree in the back yard, reading, and told her that they were going to be paying Hiashi a visit.

She had been holding Jiro by the hand, but upon seeing his older sisters in the tree, the young boy immediately felt the need to join them and proceeded to run and jump at the wide tree trunk, attempting to climb it, but failing miserably.

"Jiro, honey, be careful please," Hinata gently reprimanded her son.

The little boy fought on, his blue eyes determined.

Mariko, eager to meet the rest of her mother's family, leapt out of the tree, landing gracefully on her feet in a crouched position; Sayuri wasn't far behind. Mariko had to admit that although she was only nine-years-old, the younger girl was proving to be a tough little thing.

Jiro got a disappointed look on his face when his motive for conquering the tree had moved down to his level.

"Are Hachi and Naruto coming too?" Mariko questioned her mother.

Hinata shook her head. "Hachi and his team are training all day today and Naruto had to go take care of some 'ANBU stuff'," she finger quoted, "So it's just the four of us."

Mariko shrugged indifferently. "Alright, that's cool."

* * *

The walk from the Uzumaki house to the Hyuuga mansion wasn't too far – Mariko estimated about fifteen minutes, and that was only because they had had to stop and wait for Jiro when he ran to one of the classroom windows of the academy and proceeded to smash his face into it – slobbering all over the glass – making a face at Hachi and Keiji, who were inside.

He came back to them hysterical with laughter. Hinata shook her head, laughing softly.

Mariko grinned at her pesky baby brother.

When Hinata announced that they had arrived, Mariko was completely taken aback; the place was _HUGE!_ It was three stories tall and in immaculate condition.

"Holy shit!" she gasped.

Sayuri and Jiro whipped around to stare at their sister in horror.

"Language, please," Hinata said.

"Sorry," the girl whispered, still enraptured by the colossal structure before her.

The two children weren't at all intimidated by the mansion's size; they had been making regular visits to the place since they were born. They ran ahead, banging on the gates and shouting at the guards to let them in, which of course, they did; all the members of the Hyuuga manor staff were familiar with Hiashi's grandchildren.

Hinata noticed that their eyes lingered on Mariko's unfamiliar form as she walked through, but the girl took no notice; she was scanning the brilliant garden with her silver eyes.

"Grandpaaaaaaaaa!!" Jiro screamed the second they were indoors.

Mariko clapped her hands over her ears and looked at her brother irately. "Do you have to scream all the time?"

"If you don't scream in here, no one will hear you," the boy said, jutting his bottom lip out impudently.

However, it wasn't long before one of the maids came bustling into the main hallway from a side room.

"Lady Hinata! It's so good to see you! Oh, and I see you've brought two of your little angels with you! Lord Hyuuga will be so pleased!" She giggled in her high-pitched voice, but stopped when her eyes fell on Mariko. "And who might this be?" she tried to sound politely inquisitive without also sounding distrustful.

Mariko was still gazing around in awe, totally oblivious that she was being spoken of.

"This is my oldest, Uchiha Mariko," Hinata replied, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, "I actually came to introduce her to her grandfather. Would you mind taking us to him?"

The maid had given a short gasp upon hearing Mariko's surname and she was doing her absolute best to keep from sprinting off right then and telling everyone she knew the latest gossip: the Hyuuga heiress has a child with the Uchiha boy. She automatically assumed that Sasuke must be the father; Itachi never even crossed her mind.

Still, she managed to keep herself composed enough to lead Hinata and her three children up a flight of stairs, down an impossibly long hallway and to the closed doors of what Hinata knew was her father's office.

She nodded a thank you to the maid, who bustled off as soon as she was released from her duty, and tentatively slid the door open a little. "Father?" she enquired into the room.

"Is that you Hinata? Come in." A deep, authoritative voice answered.

The doors were thrown wide open as Jiro and Sayuri bounded in, screaming gleefully, and leapt onto their grandfather's lap, hugging him tightly.

Hiashi chuckled and ruffled Jiro's hair and kissed Sayuri's forehead. He was far more affectionate with them than he had ever been with his own two daughters. He saw that they had the natural drive to succeed like their father and none of their mother's shyness, so he had never felt the need to push them the way he had with Hinata.

The two children were so preoccupying that he didn't even notice the extra member in the room with them, until he looked back at Hinata to ask her what occasioned the visit. When he saw the older girl, he immediately connected her features with the familiar ones of the Uchiha, and a cloud passed over his face.

"Who have you got there with you, Hinata?" he asked, demanding the answer.

Hinata paused, looking from her daughter on her right, to her father's now stern face, to her two younger children. "Sayuri, Jiro, why don't the two of you go down to the garden and see the ducklings in the pond? Just be careful that you don't fall in."

Sayuri and Jiro were off like shots, heading down to see the ducklings that Hiashi had told them about a week ago.

"Hinata, I want an explanation; who is this young woman and why have you brought her here?" Hiashi's voice had gone cold since his grandchildren were now gone.

"I brought her here to meet you. I figured that she should know her grandfather," Hinata replied slowly, working to maintain control of the shakiness in her voice. "This is my eldest daughter: Uchiha Mariko."

The Hyuuga lord's pale eyes widened. "Uchiha?! Hinata! What are you talking about?! Uchiha Sasuke is her father?!" Hiashi made the same wrong assumption that the maid had.

Hinata shook her head. "No, Uchiha Sasuke is not her father…Uchiha Itachi is."

Hiashi looked like his heart stopped for a few moments; the room was so silent, Mariko was afraid to even breathe.

"Uchiha…_Itachi_…" Hiashi finally managed in a broken whisper, slumping back in his chair. "Hinata…is this some kind of joke?"

"What's wrong father? I thought that you would be pleased to know that you had a grandchild with such noble bloodlines. After all, weren't you trying to arrange a marriage between Sasuke and me for a long time?" Hinata smirked inwardly; she was starting to sound like Hanabi.

Hiashi, however, was clearly not amused. "Hinata, there is a big difference between you marrying Sasuke and having his child, and having his bastard brother's child when you've married someone else."

Mariko narrowed her eyes at the Hyuuga lord; she hated it when anyone referred to her father as a bastard.

"I had Mariko long before I was married to Naruto, father," Hinata replied coolly.

"So this is the Akatsuki prisoner," Hiashi realized. "My…granddaughter…"

The Uchiha girl and the Hyuuga patriarch stared each other down for what seemed like forever. Suddenly, a slow, devious smile spread across Hiashi's face.

"Well, since you are the product of two clans that are renowned for their superior skills, you should be quite a formidable opponent. I challenge you to a sparring match."

Mariko had to catch herself before she laughed out loud. "Are…are you serious?" she couldn't believe that this man – her _grandfather_, who looked like he had never gotten dirty in his life and who she was sure was too old to even throw a decent punch – was challenging her to a sparring match. "I dunno…"

"Why? Afraid you'll lose to an old man?" he asked with a smirk.

Mariko's eyes narrowed. "No. I just don't want to get in trouble when I break all the bones in your body."

Hiashi laughed. "Goodness, you do sound like an Uchiha; so violent. But trust me, girl, I may seem old, but I am more than capable of holding my own in the fighting ring."

Mariko shrugged. "Alright then; your funeral, old man. Just tell the Hokage that I didn't start it when he has to be rushed into the ER," she said to Hinata.

Hinata sighed in exasperation; she should have known that after getting over the initial shock, her father _would_ want to test Mariko's strength. He couldn't bear to have any more weaklings in the family since her.

Hiashi stood and led the way through the mansion and down to the outdoor training ring; Mariko followed behind him, a confident smirk on her face, and Hinata walked brought up the rear, nervous for the well-being of her daughter and her father.

"You know, this isn't going to be fair to you, old man," Mariko grinned. "Even with this ridiculous necklace thing, I'll still kick the crap outta you."

Hiashi dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Just humor me," he said as he took a fighting stance.

Hinata sat down on the single step that went from the ring to the house with her arms folded around her, watching intently.

Mariko arched her back and rolled her shoulders, getting a few kinks and cracks out of them; Hiashi activated his Byakugan. The girl was taken aback at first by the change in the old man's eyes and the intimidating veins that showed through, but she refused to show her surprise.

"Hah, that's a cool eye trick, old man, but I won't even have to show you my special eyes to win this fight!" she shouted over to him.

"You certainly know how to talk big…are you _sure_ you're not Naruto's daughter?" Hiashi smiled.

"Let's just do this, okay?"

"As you wish."

Mariko suddenly sprang forward and threw a half-hearted punch at Hiashi; he dodged it easily. She pivoted around to strike at him again, and once again, he moved around it. He, however, used his first two fingers to jab a spot on her arm. It produced a surprisingly painful pinch, and Mariko jumped back.

"Ow!" she pulled up her sleeve to look at the area that he had poked; there was a very tiny but dark bruise in a perfectly circular shape. "What tha hell?" she whispered to herself.

"Something wrong?" Hiashi called over to her lightly.

"No," Mariko replied darkly, pulling her sleeve down to her wrist again, "Nothing."

She went at the Hyuuga lord again, occasionally throwing a punch or even a kick, just so that she could study how he moved and retaliated. She noticed that he only tried to strike her with his two fingers, never a balled fist or a kick; and even if she managed to get out of his direct line of sight, he seemed to be able to know where she was going to attack him from next. He caught her by surprise again, stabbing his two fingers into her shoulder, causing the same irritatingly painful pinch. She guessed that she would bruise there too.

She was growing tired of this; the phoenix necklace was making it difficult for her to move as quickly as she normally would have and she was sore in the spots where Hiashi had jabbed her.

Even though she had said that she wouldn't, Mariko decided that the match would end more quickly if she activated her Sharingan, so she did.

"I thought you said you weren't going to use your eye tricks," Hiashi said smartly.

Mariko shrugged. "I just wanna get this over with; you're boring me."

This made Hiashi laugh out loud. "Okay, whatever you say."

After that, the fight did end quickly. Mariko skirted around Hiashi in zigzagging motions before darting in to strike at him. She was certain that the angle she was going to actually attack him from was one where he wouldn't be able to see it coming. Feeling far too overconfident again, Mariko made her attack…and she was jabbed harshly in the chest and arms several times. However, instead of falling back like she had done the previous times, she ignored the way her muscles seemed to shorten and tighten painfully in order to crouch and make a sweep at Hiashi's legs with her own. She was upset to find that he was not only able to meet her attack, but he was able to counter it by grabbing her by the ankle and use the momentum that she had created to swing her around, landing her flat on her back.

Mariko coughed; the impact of the ground had knocked the breath out of her. She groaned; she couldn't believe that the old man had gotten her. How the hell had he done that?!

Hinata jumped up from her place on the step and was about to walk over to help her daughter up, but she stopped when Hiashi bent down to offer his hand to Mariko. The girl hesitated, but took it and allowed him to haul her up to her feet.

"That was an interesting fight you put up," he said.

Mariko just grumbled something under her breath as she brushed the dust off of her pants; it sounded vaguely like, "'Interesting' my ass…"

Hiashi, however, couldn't help himself from grinning as he continued to speak to his granddaughter. "You're not very well-trained. You have absolutely no skill in taijutsu; and other than your Sharingan, you didn't even attempt to use any chakra."

Mariko didn't like to admit that the only thing that she had ever really been _trained_ in was sword-fighting by Kisame and that she had been left mostly on her own to develop her fighting skills. She supposed that everyone figured that since she was Itachi's daughter, this stuff would just come to her naturally, which she thought was a ridiculous assumption – even her father had needed training, after all.

"Be here tomorrow morning no later than seven o'clock," Hiashi said as he walked back towards the mammoth house.

"For what?" Mariko questioned testily.

Hiashi paused and turned to face his granddaughter. "You've already gotten the hang of using your Uchiha eye abilities; I'll teach you how to use your Hyuuga one as well. And like I said, you badly need taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu training. So unless you want your fighting style to remain as mere brawling, then I suggest you take me up on my offer." He continued walking to the house, stopping when he reached Hinata, who was still standing and had been watching the entire exchange between her father and her daughter.

In a low voice he said to her, "She's quite something, Hinata. That doesn't mean that I approve of her parentage, but I suppose that it's irrelevant now. I do want to train her up a bit though; no grandchild of mine will scrap like a drunken idiot."

Mariko, who had just walked over in time to hear Hiashi's last comment, raised her balled fist and yelled, "Hey! Who brawls like a drunken idiot?! You'd better watch your back, old man! I mean it! If you really think that I have no skills, then let's fight with swords next time and I'll show you just how 'unskilled' I am!"

Hinata covered the smile on her lips with one hand; Hiashi smirked.

"I have some work that I must finish up. It was good seeing you again, Hinata. It was nice meeting you, Mariko. Don't forget: seven o'clock," he repeated before continuing on his way.

Mariko crossed her arms and glared daggers at her grandfather's retreating back. "Hmph! Guy gets all smug just because he thinks that he beat me. Well, he's got another thing coming to him."

"Let's go find Jiro and Sayuri," Hinata suggested with a short laugh.

* * *

It was finally twilight; Itachi and Hidan knew that they would be able to move through the village with relative ease as long as they took care to keep their more-defining features concealed and NOT kill anyone. The two men had brought along some normal clothing, and were decked out in black shirts and pants as they slipped through the dusky night and down into the sleepy village.

"You go look at the prison," Itachi instructed Hidan. "I'm going to look around here."

Itachi was rather surprised when Hidan did as he was told without arguing and headed off down an alleyway in the direction of the prison. He decided that he would start in a fairly obvious place and work back from there: the Hyuuga mansion.

Bittersweet memories began flashing through Itachi's mind as he walked to the giant house that he knew almost every nook and cranny of, in search of a very different girl this time.

* * *

_Where are you and I'm so sorry_

_I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight_

_I need somebody and always_

_This sick strange darkness_

_Comes creeping on so haunting every time_

_--"I Miss You"_

* * *

**There ya go! Don't forget to lmk about the sequel and read the oneshot!! Peace out! **


	19. The Grim Goodbye

**Sigh I am tired. School and work are kicking my ass hardcore. Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I wanted to get the next chapter of my other fanfic up first, since it had been weeks since they've had an update. **

**So far, I've had people tell me that they would read a sequel to this story, so I'll do one. But it won't be for a little while, since, you know, I have to finish this one before I do the sequel to it. Lol! **

**Another thank you to HopeoftheForgotten for the song suggestion!! I love it!! Remember, I am open to song requests and ideas!**

**Don't forget: R&R!! It will make my weekend if you do :D**

**Enjoy!!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "The Grim Goodbye" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus; End Credits: "Love Song" by 311; Others: "Promises" by Adema, "I Am The Highway" by Audioslave, "Transatlanticism" by Death Cab For Cutie, "Adiemus" by Enya**

* * *

_**The Grim Goodbye**_

_Fate seems to recreate,_

_I just can not escape,_

_Something holds me down and makes me act a way I can't explain_

_Even now I can feel it coming over me choking me,_

_as I'm falling behind_

_You can say you know me,_

_but you have no clue what my dreams could show you_

_--"The Grim Goodbye"_

* * *

Hinata smiled at the scene before her: Mariko – who was beat from her spar with Hiashi earlier - was sprawled out on her back on the pink-carpeted floor of Sayuri's room, a picture book not far from her open hand. The younger girl was curled up in a ball at her big sister's side, her sides rising and falling with her soft breathing. Seeing her two daughters like this brought tears to Hinata's eyes. She lingered for a few moments longer before flicking the light switch off and quietly closing the door.

She walked down to Hachi and Jiro's room and poked her head in to check on the boys. Hachi was half-in and half-out of his covers, and Jiro had somehow gotten turned completely horizontally and had kicked his covers up against the wall. Hinata grimaced when she noticed a strand of drool leaking from her youngest's mouth.

Returning downstairs, she decided to wash the last few dishes before curling up on the couch with a book that Ino had insisted she read. Naruto was gone, out on an ANBU mission, so she had a few hours to herself.

Hinata had just settled down on the soft couch and tucked one of the wooly throws around her legs and was preparing to open the book when she heard something. It was a very subtle sound: a gentle tap on glass. Her heart stopped for a moment, fearing that there was an intruder lurking about, but it sped up to an abnormally fast rate after a second when she realized that she had heard this specific rhythm before.

She stood and walked to the living room window. She stretched out a trembling hand, hesitated for a second, and then cautiously swept aside the curtain. She gasped loudly, clamping her free hand firmly over her mouth in shock and disbelief as she looked upon the figure on the other side of the glass.

"I-Itachi…" she whispered.

He grinned at her in the same way he had all those years ago. "Hey Hinata; it's been awhile, huh?"

She was speechless; she had honestly expected to never see him again. Yet here he was, outside of her window, speaking to her as if they were still kids caught up in a scandalous love affair.

"Wh-what are you _doing_ here?" she managed to whisper.

His grin faded. "I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"

"No," she said resolutely, shaking her head.

"Okay, then will you come out here?"

Hinata was unsure; she wanted more than anything to go out to him and feel his arms wrap around her and for both of them to pretend that they were the young and carefree people that they had been when they had met. But she wasn't that person anymore. She was married to someone else; she had three children asleep upstairs. _No, wait…not three…__**four**__…_

It was then that she realized what he was doing there: he had come back for Mariko. She looked at him with confusion and some suspicion; he just grinned. Sighing, Hinata let the curtain fall across the window again as she walked over to the back door and stepped out into the brisk night air. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

Itachi's breath caught and, for a second, he wasn't sure if he could trust himself to merely _talk_ to her. Even though he hadn't seen her for years and it was obvious that she had moved on, he really hadn't. Seeing her in person brought all the old feelings that had been lying dormant in him up to the surface and he had to control his urge to grab her and kiss her right then.

She turned her pearly eyes on him. "Alright, now do you mind telling me what you're doing here?"

He cleared his throat as he slowly walked over to her. "Well, I was hoping that we could chat and do a little catching up, but you seem rather impatient, so I'll just get right to it; I came for Mariko."

She knew that that was his reason, but it still shocked her to hear him say it. "N-no…" she whispered.

"What?" he asked. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I…I want her to stay here…with us," Hinata replied.

Itachi felt the fight rising up in him. "Well, I want her to come _home_, where she belongs. I'm not leaving here without her, Hinata."

Now the protective mother instinct was dominating her. "Oh, you think she 'belongs' with you and that group of criminals? You think that that's a home?! She has a chance at doing something that she can be proud of here. My father is already interested in training her…"

Itachi snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure that will be real good for her self-confidence; don't forget why you were in the forest on the day we met." His eyes flashed challengingly.

"He's…He's not like that with them, the kids, I mean. He's far better to them than he ever was to Hanabi or me. And besides, that's not the point! The point is that here, she can be somebody other than a member of a criminal organization. In time, she'll be able to do anything that she wants."

"Except see me," Itachi concluded bitterly for her.

Hinata ignored his comment and went on. "People are starting to find out about her heritage; they know that in her, our two clans, the most powerful in Konoha, are combined. Do you have any idea what that means to people around here? Even in other villages? She'll have endless opportunities."

"Do they know that I'm her father? Hm? Does that mean anything to them? Because if they're smart – which I sometimes doubt – then they'll always be suspicious of her. They'll never completely trust her and they'll watch every move she makes. So unless the 'endless opportunities' that you're referring to translate to being mistrusted and doubted by everyone who knows who her father is, then she really doesn't have as bright of a future here as you make yourself believe she would. At least with me, she can be herself and be loved for it."

Itachi watched Hinata to gauge her response to his words. She turned her eyes to the ground so that he couldn't see that she knew he was right. Even if Mariko did stay with her in Konoha and was given freedom, no one would ever trust her completely. Even if Mariko never put even a toe out of line, she would be watched constantly. It was true that her father's name condemned her. No one had ever suspected Itachi when he was young, and he had betrayed his clan in the most extreme way imaginable. Even some of the elders of the village who had known Itachi as a boy said that they had been stunned when they heard that he had killed his family, saying that he was always such a bright and nice boy. That was what people would be watching for in Mariko: the snap. They would expect her to one day just break without warning and turn on them.

Itachi took a few steps closer to Hinata, who was shivering in the cold now. "I'm not trying to hurt you; I'm just protecting her."

"I know," she replied softly. She looked at him with pleading eyes. "But you've had her for seventeen years; can't she stay here just for a little while?"

The memory of Orochimaru and his strong interest in Mariko flashed through Itachi's mind. "I can't leave her for long; Orochimaru and his Sound ninja may be coming for her."

Hinata gasped slightly. "Orochimaru?! What for?! How does he know about her?!"

"He has his ways of finding things out, the sneaky little shit," Itachi growled.

"Wait, so are you saying that you think that the Akatsuki can protect Mariko better than an entire village full of skilled shinobi?"

"I'm just saying that I don't completely trust everyone in this village to be willing to lay down their lives protecting Uchiha Itachi's daughter if it should come to that. Besides, half of the 'skilled shinobi' that you're speaking of are kids and would probably just be killed off. At least with my crew, we have experience and we don't mind shedding blood."

"Well, we don't exactly have a shortage of skilled ninja ourselves, you know," Hinata impudently placed her hands on her hips. "There's Lady Tsunade and Master Jiraiya, Kakashi, Anko, Ibiki, Asuma, Kurenai, Iruka, Neji and Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji and Shino, Sasuke…"

Itachi gave an amused chuckle at the last name Hinata listed.

"What?" she asked annoyed.

"How is my baby brother?" There was a tinge of venom in his voice as he spoke.

"He's fine. Annoyed that Mariko is here, but he's alright," she decided that it would be better if he knew nothing of the clash between his brother and his daughter. "Did you know that he has a family now?"

Itachi's eyebrow lifted, showing interest. "Oh, really?"

Hinata nodded. "Two sons; your nephews. You should go take a peek at them if you're able; they're nice boys."

"Maybe later," he said icily, "But getting back to the main point, I'm not leaving Mariko here while Orochimaru is lurking around, waiting to snatch her up."

Hinata sighed as she rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand. "Itachi, I promise you, we can look after Mariko. The village has dealt with Orochimaru before; we can handle him if he shows up. I won't let anything happen to her."

He gazed at her; she was so beautiful, even though she looked tired and upset. It was his fault, of course, and he felt bad about it, but he needed his daughter back. It was that same darker side of him that was focused only on alleviating his own pain and suffering that was glad to see that he still had an effect on her. A slightly malevolent smile spread on his face as he slowly closed the distance between them.

She looked up at him when he stopped walking and just stood before her, locking their eyes in place. A gentle breeze picked up at her back, seeming intent on sweeping her into him, but she stayed put.

Itachi reached out a hand to stroke her ivory cheek. "Hinata," he whispered, "Why don't you come back with us?"

She felt like she was being torn apart inside. Part of her wanted nothing more than to run off with Itachi and Mariko and leave all of her cares and worries behind in Konoha. But the other half of her loved her life with Naruto and their three children; she absolutely adored each of them and she truly loved Naruto as well.

"I…I can't," she whispered back, "You know I can't."

She felt tears sting her eyes; tears of regret that she couldn't accept his offer and tears of shame that she was even thinking of it when she had a wonderful family here.

"Just say yes and I'll take you away with me; it's as easy as that," he brought his face down so that their foreheads touched.

She closed her eyes and a few tears escaped, but she didn't pull away. "No…" she breathed.

"Please?"

His mouth was hovering over hers; all she had to do to close the small gap between them was lean forward a tiny bit…

But she didn't; she pulled back before they went any further and she did something that she would feel guilty about later. She trembled slightly, feeling cold from the absence of his warmth and a bit shaken by this whole encounter.

He looked at her longingly for a moment before his features hardened again. "Don't fight me on this, Hinata; you know I'll win and you'll just end up even more hurt."

They stared each other down, but snapped out of it when the sound of a door shutting and Naruto's voice searching for his wife reached them.

Itachi smirked. "Your _husband_ is looking for you," he put emphasis on the word. "We're not done here. I'll be back for her." With that final promise, he seemed to disappear with a chilly gust of wind.

Hinata shivered again, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Hey, Hinata, what are you doing out here?" Naruto asked, poking his head through the open back door.

"Oh, nothing; I just needed some fresh air," she replied, giving him a small smile that she hoped was convincing and walking back into the warm house.

Naruto smiled widely at his wife as he hugged her close. "You shouldn't stand out in the cold like that; you're gonna catch a cold." He said. Then he kissed the top of her head and went to the kitchen to heat up the plate of dinner that Hinata had saved for him.

She felt relieved as she walked upstairs to take a shower that he hadn't noticed the tears that had built up in her eyes. She stopped in front of the room where her daughters were sleeping to check in on them once more; they were still sleeping soundly, in the same positions that she had left them in. Content, Hinata smiled and entered the bathroom that hung off of her and Naruto's room.

His blood-red eyes burned in the darkness as he sat high up in a tree, concealed by the branches, watching.

* * *

Mariko panted and swiped a few droplets of sweat from her forehead before they got into her eyes and stung them. Standing across the training field from her, Hiashi nodded with an approving smile on his face.

"Very good; you're quick to pick up on things, even without that eye trick of yours."

Mariko and Hiashi had been referring to each other's eye abilities as "tricks" ever since that first spar they had.

"Now," the Hyuuga lord continued, "Come at me again, but this time, I want you to use the roundhouse kick-right hook combination, alright?"

The silver-eyed girl was tired; the stupid phoenix necklace was draining huge amounts of energy from her and if Hiashi knew about the "restriction" that had been placed on his granddaughter by the Hokage, he didn't acknowledge it. He was pushing her hard, but she refused to admit that she was exhausted and unsure if she would be able to continue this way for much longer.

Instead, she struck up her offensive position, held it for a second and then launched into her attack the way Hiashi had instructed her to, throwing kicks and punches at him mercilessly.

They were both so caught up in their training that neither of them heard the hollow _thunk_ of footsteps on the wooden walkway that edged the whole training court. When they finally stopped, Mariko was breathing hard; she put her hands in her knees and bowed her head as she took in huge gulps of air. Hiashi only had to take a second to regain his composure; it was he who first noticed that they were being watched.

"Ah, Neji, so good to see you; what brings you here?" he asked happily as he walked over to join the younger man.

Mariko's head shot up as she looked on the form of the man who she had had the fortune of **not** seeing since their encounter in prison. She straightened up, though she was still panting, and narrowed her eyes at him in an evil glare.

Ignoring his cousin for the time, Neji replied to his uncle, keeping his voice low, "I just wanted to inform you that as of now, there have been no sightings or signs of Uchiha Itachi or any of the other Akatsuki members. Sasuke's been keeping us all on high alert, posting teams to keep watch 24/7."

Hiashi nodded, "Very good, Neji. Thank you for the update," he turned back to his granddaughter, "I think that's enough for today; you did very well. Come in and clean up a bit and we'll have tea."

The Hyuuga lord walked into the mansion, disappearing from sight, leaving the two cousins to stare at each other. Mariko walked forward in the direction that her grandfather had taken, which was bringing her closer to Neji. She had just stepped up onto the wooden walkway when he spoke, causing her to stop.

"So, Hiashi is training you is he?"

"Yeah, so?" Mariko replied testily.

But Neji just chuckled. "That must be fun for you, being whipped by an old man."

Mariko rolled her eyes. "It's actually a rather humbling experience; I suggest you try it sometime."

He grinned. "Been there, done that; besides, I don't think that the old man could beat me, even if he tried."

Mariko's hands flew to her hips and her eyebrows lifted. "Oh, really? That's pretty arrogant of you! You'd better not let him hear you talking like that or he might come out here and kick your egotistical ass!"

At this Neji couldn't help laughing out loud; Mariko just scowled.

"Well I am late for a well-deserved tea date, so if you'll excuse me," she turned on her heel sticking her tongue out at her older cousin before sauntering in through the door to the room where her grandfather was waiting with two cups and a pot of fresh, hot green tea. She blew gently on the steaming cup before taking a sip, relishing the feeling as some of her strength returned to her exhausted body.

"He feels bad about it, you know," Hiashi said, interrupting the silence.

"Huh? Who feels bad about what?" Mariko asked, not following her grandfather.

"Neji…he's ashamed of the way he treated you while you were in prison."

Mariko rubbed a bruise on her ribs that hadn't completely healed yet and winced. "Well it sure didn't _feel_ like he felt bad," she said sourly.

Hiashi grimaced and said in a soothing voice, "I can understand why you would hold a grudge against him – what he did was completely out of line both as an ANBU and as a Hyuuga – but he really is a good man. You should at least try to forgive him."

Mariko sighed thoughtfully as she took another sip of tea. Maybe Neji did feel bad about beating her when she had no way to fight back, but that was his problem; he _should_ feel guilty about it!

Still, though, she reasoned, Deidara had told her that grudges were terrible things that consumed people and gave them only one purpose in their lives, which, once fulfilled, left them empty and lost. And while she might not make her vendetta with Neji the center of her world, she was sure that it would turn her into an ugly person.

As she was leaving the Hyuuga compound to head back to her mother's house, she noticed Neji out of the corner of her eye, standing in the garden under a sakura tree and looking down at something on the ground. He appeared very thoughtful and wistful as he stood, and Mariko wondered what he could be staring at so intensely.

* * *

"Kai? Where are you going?" Sakura called out to her eldest son from the kitchen, where she was busy slicing tomatoes.

"Out for a walk," the boy replied, sounding very much like his father: aloof and emotionless.

"Alright, if you happen to see your brother while you're out, will you please tell him to be home before dark?"

"Sure." He shut the door behind him and sighed deeply, grateful to be out of the house.

He hadn't been sent on any missions in nearly two weeks and being stuck at home was starting to get to him. Kai loved his family, but they could get irritating after too much time. His father was constantly at him about his training and doing better than his peers. Well, he was fifteen and had already achieved Jounin status; in Kai's mind, he had surpassed his peers, most of whom had just become Chunin.

He adored his mother, but couldn't stand the fact that she felt the need to sugarcoat everything for him and Zatoichi. He knew about his father's upbringing and the tragedy with Itachi, and he knew that it made his mother nervous the way Sasuke was always pushing him, but it upset him more that she worried that he might snap the way his uncle – who had obviously been insane – had, to the point where she would do anything to keep him sheltered. Did she really think him so frail?

Then there was Zatoichi. Kai felt a little sorry for his brother because he worked so hard, yet their father took only a fraction of the interest he showed to Kai in Zatoichi. Kai would have taken it upon himself to help his little brother along if he wasn't always so damned busy! If he wasn't on a mission, then he could be sure that his father had some intense training regimen drawn up for him. Still, there were times when Kai would say 'screw it' to his responsibilities and take his brother to train or just to do 'brother' things, like fish or swim.

_Now there's another Uchiha in Konoha_, he thought as he walked along, heading out of the Uchiha district and into the main part of the village.

He had learned of his cousin's presence when she was taken by ANBU, but he hadn't realized who she actually _was_ until Zatoichi had told him.

He had a strong interest in this girl; he had heard his father and others speak of Uchiha Itachi, and though what he did was terrible, no one could deny the amazing extent of his abilities and skill. Kai wondered if his cousin was as gifted as her father. He wondered what level ninja she would be if she had grown up as a Leaf shinobi, rather than an Akatsuki member. Perhaps he would get a chance to spar with her…

Kai didn't even realize where he was, he had been so deep in thought. He only looked up because he heard a strange scraping noise coming from up above. He lifted his viridian eyes to determine the source of the unusual sound and saw a girl with her long, dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail climbing out of a bedroom window and up onto the roof of the house.

It was only when he looked at the house, which he recognized as the Uzumaki residence, that he understood that it must be his cousin who had just climbed onto the roof.

_What the hell is she doing?_ He wondered as her feet disappeared onto the roof.

Kai rarely prodded into other people's business, usually because he just didn't care enough to do so, but his curiosity got the better of him this time and he hopped easily up into a tree that was rooted alongside the Uzumaki's house. He watched as his cousin lay back with her arms behind her head and closed her eyes with a content look on her face.

The black-haired boy dropped lightly onto the roof, not too far from where the girl was sprawled out. She shot up into a sitting position as soon as she had heard him arrive.

Mariko had to squint her eyes against the sunset rays. She had to look for a moment before she recognized her visitor. "You…you're my cousin, aren't you? Kai, right?"

Kai nodded. "And you're Mariko?"

"That I am," Mariko grinned. "So what are you doing here?"

Kai shrugged. "I was out for a walk when I noticed you pulling a little escape stunt by climbing out of a window."

"Hehe, yeah, well, that's the only way I can get up here without a ladder, and I figured why bother with that, when climbing out a window and risking breaking your neck is so much more fun?"

"Well, when you put it that way…" Kai smirked.

Mariko smiled back and resumed her former position, resting her head on her arms once more. "You get a really good view of the sky here."

Kai sat down and followed his cousin's gaze skyward. "Don't you get a good view where you come from?"

Mariko was about to answer when she remembered that her cousin was a Jounin and for all she knew, Sasuke had sent him to pry answers from her. Even answering a question as simple as the one he asked could give away vital information about where the Akatsuki hideout was. So, she decided to give a short and inconclusive reply by shrugging. "Sometimes," was the only word that she uttered.

Kai had caught the indecisive look on Mariko's face when she answered him, and he could tell that she didn't totally trust him. He couldn't blame her, after all, she was still under 'prisoner' status in the village and he was a shinobi of the village.

The cousins sat in comfortable silence for a while longer; the sun had just set, leaving the sky a mix of dusky night hues and radiant glowing colors, when a voice was heard.

"Mariko!"

Mariko groaned and rolled over onto her side, but Kai could see that she was fighting not to grin.

"That little pest," the girl said affectionately, referring to her littlest brother, who was the one calling out for her.

Kai flashed a lopsided grin. "Yeah, little brothers can be annoying," he agreed.

"MARIKOOOOOO!!"

The girl winced. "I guess that means I have to go," she said, getting up.

Kai nodded, also getting up. "I have to go and find Zatoichi anyways."

Mariko paused, looking at her cousin with hopeful silver eyes. "Um, Kai? I really liked talking to you and I'd like to get to know you better…you and Zatoichi. Do you think that we could hang out again?"

The boy shrugged. "Sure, Zatoichi would probably love it if you came to see us."

Mariko was relieved that her cousins didn't seem to share their father's distaste of her. "Okay, cool! I have training with my grandfather tomorrow morning, and then my mom said something about meeting her sister and her cousin's wife…anyways, so maybe late tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll come and get you."

Mariko nodded. "Sounds good," she cringed as Sayuri's voice screeched her name along with Jiro's, "Alright, I'm leaving for real now." She slipped down the roof and back through the window.

Kai jumped back into the tree, glancing up at the window that his cousin had disappeared into; she waved at him quickly before running off. He smirked to himself and began heading home, knowing that if he didn't pass Zatoichi on the way, then the boy was most likely already home.

* * *

After an intense, early morning training session with Hiashi, Mariko rushed home for a shower and some lunch. The plans that her mother had made with Hanabi and Tenten had fallen through, but she was a little grateful, because that meant that she could spend more time with Kai. She was actually excited that she was going to be doing something with her cousin. Not that she minded the company of her younger siblings and cousin, but Kai was much closer to her own age, which made her feel less awkward, like she was caught between the adults and the children.

She slurped down the remainder of her instant ramen just as a knock was heard on the door. Mariko jumped up and sprinted to it, regretting it as her recently-filled stomach gave a lurch. She threw open the door to reveal…someone.

Mariko frowned in disappointment as she looked over the newcomer with scrutiny in her silver eyes.

"Yeah?" she asked expectantly and rudely.

"You wouldn't happen to be Uzumaki Hinata, would you?" the person – a tall and gangly man with shifty eyes and a grin like a Cheshire cat's – asked.

"No," Mariko replied flatly; she didn't like this guy, something about him didn't sit well with her.

"Oh, dear, she does live here though, correct?" the man went on.

"Why do you wanna know?" she asked testily, crossing her arms.

The strange man laughed softly, sending shivers down Mariko's spine. "How silly of me, I forgot to introduce myself; my name is Takurami Ashi and I am here to meet Uzumaki Hinata's daughter by Uchiha Itachi. Are you Mrs. Uzumaki's sister?"

At this blatant statement, Mariko's blood ran cold and her gaze turned hostile. "No," she seethed in response to his question. "I'm the daughter; now you'd better tell me who the hell you are and what you're doing here!"

The creepy man looked at Mariko intently for a second before chuckling to himself. "I came here to fetch you for my master," he said, grinning madly at Mariko before lunging forward at her.

She managed to duck under his arm and slip behind him; she would try to draw him away from the house, unwilling to risk any of her family members getting caught in the crossfire.

She activated her Sharingan and fell into the fighting stance that she had been working on with her grandfather as the strange man came at her. When he was close enough, she struck out the way she had been taught; she managed to clip the guy's shoulder with her fist, but it didn't actually connect hard enough to inflict any damage.

Mariko cursed under her breath as she watched the man moving, skillfully darting around to avoid her attacks while getting close enough that, if she hadn't had the advantage of the Sharingan, he would have already floored her. She had just dodged another onslaught and thrown a punch of her own when she spotted something. A stick. A good-sized, strong looking stick.

Quick as lightning, Mariko was on the stick, twirling it around her fingers a few times to get the feel of it. The man paused, watched her with a menacing grin, then continued his attack.

Mariko watched carefully with her crimson eyes, gauging his distance as he drew closer and closer, until he was finally close enough…then she attacked. Wielding the stick like a sword, Mariko quickly fell into one of the many routines that Kisame had taught her and that she knew by heart. It was far more effective than her prior attacks, since she wasn't very comfortable with her newly learned taijutsu skills yet, but swordsmanship was as natural to her as breathing.

She managed to beat the attacking man thoroughly, finally ending the fight when she tripped him and jumped on him, pressing the stick down hard across his neck and putting her face close to his.

"Now," she whispered vehemently, "I don't know who your 'master' is, but you tell him that I am not one to be fucked around with and that he is _never_, under any circumstances, to send anyone to my family's house again. The only reason that I'm leaving you alive today is so that you can deliver this message, got it? Now get lost!" She let him up and gave him one last good thrash with the stick, just for good measure; the man took off.

Mariko watched him go before sinking down to the ground on her knees, breathing hard as her limbs shook, not just from exhaustion, but also from fear. What if it hadn't been her who had answered the door? What if Jiro or Sayuri had opened it to the strange man? Would he have harmed or killed them? The very thought made her shudder.

The sound of footsteps behind her caused her to spin quickly, brandishing the lethal stick once more.

"Whoa! Easy there," Kai said, holding up his hands defensively.

At the sight of her cousin, Mariko's fierce expression faded and she lowered her hand, visibly relaxing. "Sorry Kai; I thought you were someone else."

"Are you alright? You look a bit shaken up," he commented with some concern in his voice.

Mariko nodded. "Yeah, I'm just tired from my training this morning; I'm fine though."

"Okay," Kai wasn't entirely convinced that his cousin was telling him the whole truth, but he didn't want to push her on it. "You ready to go?"

Looking up at him with now-silver eyes, Mariko nodded. He offered her his hand and hoisted her up to her feet when she took it.

"So, where are we going?" she asked him, genuinely curious.

He smirked. "You've already seen all the glamour of the Hyuuga side of your family, but you're half Uchiha too, so I thought I'd take you to see the place where our fathers came from: the Uchiha district."

* * *

Up in a tree overlooking Konoha, Takurami Ashi leaned against the stable trunk, inspecting the fresh cuts and bruises on his body. He chuckled to himself, but as he did, his voice changed; it became smoother, more sinister.

"My, my Itachi, what a fine daughter you have. Who would have thought that with a mother as timid as Hyuuga Hinata that she would have turned out to be so fierce? Now I am determined to have her; she'll make a fine addition to our group, that's for certain."

Takurami peeled away his face to reveal another one beneath: one that was deathly pale with purple stripes marking the outline of reptilian yellow eyes. He hissed in laughter as he retreated back through the woods, back to the Sound Village.

* * *

He hurt everywhere, Pein had seen to that. He kept his composure as he walked past the others in the den, on his way to his room and his shower. They couldn't help feeling some sympathy for him as he passed. Hidan had already come through, limping badly and just as bruised and bloodied as Itachi now was.

Once he got to his bathroom, he stripped to assess the damage; both of his eyes were blackened and blood was dripping from his nose and mouth. His chest was a series of angry-looking bruises and long, deep cuts that might require stitches. He was sure that he had ribs broken on both sides and three fingers were for sure broken and now stuck out at sickening angles. His back had a vicious slice in it that extended from his right scapula down the entire length of his back along with huge bruises. His legs were the only things that were relatively unscathed; there were a few bruises and cuts, but for the most part, they were fine.

The blood was pooling at his feet as he stood; he felt lightheaded for a moment and leaned forward, bracing himself against the sink while he regained his composure. Once he was sure he could stand upright, he filled his sink with steaming hot water, grabbing a washcloth and soaking it before attempting to staunch some of the bleeding.

It wasn't long before the sinkful of water was entirely red. Itachi let it down the drain and then refilled it with fresh water before continuing to administer to his wounds.

He knew that the punishment for disobeying Leader was going to be harsh, his only regret was that he hadn't gotten to bring Mariko back with him. "Next time," he whispered to himself, acknowledging the fact that despite the punishment he had just received, there was going to be another unauthorized trip to Konoha to retrieve his daughter. He knew he had to be successful next time, for he might not live to go back a third time.

* * *

In his own room, Hidan was sprawled out on the floor, not wanting to get blood all over his bed. He knew that he would stop bleeding soon enough; he just had to wait it out. Although the blood loss wouldn't kill him, it made him dizzy and caused him to keep slipping in and out of consciousness.

In a moment before he blacked out, Hidan thought to himself, _She had better fucking appreciate the trouble that we go through for her_, knowing as his vision blackened that despite the inevitable punishment, he would go again in a heartbeat.

* * *

_How ever far away_

_I will always love you_

_How ever long I stay_

_I will always love you_

_Whatever words I say_

_I will always love you_

_--"Love Song"_


	20. Sway

**So, I found out something very interesting about myself this past weekend: I am a total bitch after being put under anesthesia. Lol! I had my wisdom teeth yanked (ew!) and when I woke up, I was so mean to everyone - the dentist, the nurse, my poor dad...it was hilarious! And then I tried to buy everything in the store while my dad was getting my prescription. It was a very..._interesting_ experience, lol! **

**Anywho...I really hope you like the chapter. I know it took while to get up here, but I have honestly been working hard on it! Please lmk what you think!!**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed!! I really, really appreciate!! You guys are great! Keep up the good work!! Thank you!! If it's possible, I would like to have 150 reviews after this chapter. It's not a threat - I know some writers refuse to update unless they get a certain # of reviews - that's not what this is, it's just my hopeful self urging my readers to voice, or rather, write, their thoughts and feelings about my story. Lmk what you like, what you don't like, what I can do to improve as a writer, etc... every review helps :)**

**So, without further adieu, let's get this show on the road!! Enjoy it!!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Sway" by LostProphets; End Credits: "Return to Oz" by Scissor Sisters; Others: "Gravity of Love" by Enigma, "Daylight" by Kokin Gumi, "Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups, "Over the Pond" by The Album Leaf**

_**Sway**_

_To all the fights I've conquered_

_and beyond_

_the times have changed and I will now move over slowly_

_but through it all I still feel lost without you_

_Hard to find a new soul, as silence takes it's toll._

_--"Sway"_

* * *

"Here it is."

Mariko stopped when Kai did and followed his gaze up to the looming gates. They were similar to those at the Hyuuga compound, except that while those at the Hyuugas' practically glowed with evidence of good care, these gates were a dark, mossy-green, having been bleached out by the sun and then endured seasons of rain and snow. Mariko could see a faded red and white fan painted on each gate.

They squealed on rusty hinges as Kai pushed them open, revealing what could only be described as a ghost town. There were houses, but it was obvious by the state they were currently in that no one had lived in them for a long time. Panels of glass in the windows were cracked and broken, and those that weren't had years of dusty residue built up on them, making it nearly impossible to see through them.

The wind whistled through the empty streets, yanking along a few dead, brown leaves; somewhere nearby, a crow cawed. Mariko shivered and glanced over at her cousin; a somber look had settled on his face as he slowly led the way on.

"Does your family live here?" Mariko asked quietly, afraid to raise her voice much above a whisper.

Kai nodded and said, "Mom wanted us to live in the village; she doesn't think it's good for dad to be here – too many bad memories, she says – but he won't leave. He wanted to live in the main house that he grew up in, but mom refused to; said she would leave him if he did. They finally compromised and we live in one of the smaller houses now."

The silver-eyed girl didn't understand how everything outside of these gates had looked so perfect and relaxed, yet once she had crossed over the threshold of her family's land, an ominous feeling settled in and it was as if even the sun had hidden itself.

The pair stopped outside of a small house.

"Dad says that this was where his aunt and uncle once lived; he would stop and talk to them everyday on his way to and from the academy. He said that they were very kind people."

Mariko had a sickening feeling that she knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, but she asked anyways. "What…what happened to them?"

"They were killed," Kai said slowly, "In the massacre."

He didn't need to explain further; she knew what he spoke of when he referred to the "massacre". She looked around the vacant streets as they continued on, finding it hard to believe that her father, who had rocked her to sleep and who had held her when she was afraid of the 'monsters' under her bed when she was little, was the reason that there were no people living here now. Her father was the reason that the district was unkempt and falling apart; he was the reason that the wind howled through the broken windows and into hollow homes. Suddenly, it was clear to her how her uncle could hate her father so much. In fact, she felt rather sympathetic towards Sasuke.

"It must have been hard for your father," she said softly, almost apologetically. "To have everything ripped away at such a young age by someone who he thought he could trust."

Kai nodded. "Mom said he had a really rough time with it when he was younger; they almost lost him a few times."

They stopped in front of a mansion that looked as if it once could have rivaled the Hyuugas'. But now, it was in the same state of decay as the rest of the district. Mariko knew even before Kai told her that this was the main house where Sasuke and Itachi had once lived with their parents. A big gust of wind blew past them again, causing the deteriorating wood of the mansion to creak and groan hauntingly.

Mariko tried hard to imagine what the massive house was like years ago, when her father and uncle were children. She tried to picture the inhabitants of the Uchiha district – her clan, her _family_ – living in this eerie place. As an only child, Mariko had never had a problem imagining things and keeping herself amused for hours inventing games and imaginary friends; however, as the ancient trees creaked, slowly swaying in the wind, she just couldn't picture this place as ever being happy and alive.

* * *

He had decided to post himself in the district, just in case his brother tried to sneak in unnoticed through the vacant neighborhood. His blood-red eyes scanned the area and the forest that surrounded it but was kept at bay by high fences. A light breeze tousled the ends of his spiky hair as he sat on his perch high above the rooftops of the empty houses.

His attention was diverted, however, when he heard voices coming from the streets below. He looked down and thought that he was seeing ghosts for a moment. He saw two figures with raven-black hair – one's spiky and the other's long and pulled back – walking next to each other companionably. From where he sat, he could have sworn that they were younger versions of himself and his brother. However, logic won him over, telling him that his brother was gone and that there were no ghosts in the Uchiha district…only inside his head.

Upon closer inspection, Sasuke could discern the figures of his son and his niece. He was amazed at how much she really did look like Itachi; she had her mother's femininity and her eyes were obviously a different color, but she was just like him in build and physical features, she even seemed to move like him.

When they had first gotten married, Sakura had done everything she could think of to get him to leave the district. He told her that he couldn't – he wouldn't. She had argued, saying that he had to let go of his past before it completely consumed and ruined him. But he was unwilling to leave; sure, there were bad memories here, lots of them. But there were also good ones, from long, long ago, when he and Itachi had not been enemies and his mother would pack him a lunch and kiss him goodbye before he left for the academy. He swore that he could still smell her perfume lingering in the room that she had shared with his father.

Sasuke would never know how Itachi had managed to strike down their mother; she was always the one who would comfort them and who wasn't afraid to show them some affection. The only time she didn't have a smile on her face was when she worried for one of her boys. Sasuke remembered her crying a lot, though, right before Itachi had turned on them; she tried to hide it from him, but he would hear her at night when she thought he was sleeping. Back then, Sasuke had felt resentment towards his brother for making their mother cry; now, he still couldn't believe that she was really gone.

Looking down on his brother's daughter, Sasuke couldn't help feeling the hate bubbling up inside of him like some over-boiling pot. He didn't feel the scrape of the wood against his fingernails – cracking and splitting them as he dragged them across the roof he sat on – before balling his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He began to tremble with the sheer force of his rage; he had to shake himself violently to snap out of it before he jumped down and murdered the girl right there on the spot. He knew that she had nothing to do with what Itachi had done and that she couldn't help who her father was, but when he looked at her, all Sasuke saw was his brother. He shook his head once more to clear it before leaping off of his post in favor of finding another one; one that was on the other side of the district.

Mariko had caught sight of the fleeting, shadowy form out of the corner of her eye, and she turned to look at it straight on, but it was gone. She shivered again, thinking of all the ghosts that must roam these streets at night and glad that she didn't have to live here like her cousins.

* * *

Mariko was glad to return to the immaculate glow that radiated with life from the Hyuuga compound after having been through the ghostly, lifeless streets of the Uchiha district the day before.

She went through her usual routine of walking through the main house to the training courtyard where Hiashi would be waiting for her.

She grinned devilishly upon seeing her grandfather there. "Ready to be beaten today, old man?" she asked teasingly, although she was being half-serious as well.

Hiashi chuckled softly to himself. "It's not me you'll have to beat today, Mariko."

A confused look came over the girl's face.

"You are a Hyuuga, it's time you learned about your inherited abilities and the family fighting style. And I just happened to get the two people who are the best in each of these fields to come and instruct you," Hiashi paused and looked back toward one of the many sliding doors that surrounded the courtyard; Mariko followed his gaze.

The door slid open and out walked…Neji and Hinata.

Mariko's mouth dropped open before she could stop it, but she quickly snapped it shut and turned her silver eyes on her grandfather, who was smiling wryly as he watched his daughter and nephew make their way over to them.

"Neji is the best Juuken teacher that you could hope to train with, despite the fact that he shouldn't have even been able to learn it," Hiashi didn't say it bitterly, rather, he said it with admiration and respect, "And Hinata has the sharpest Byakugan of all the Hyuugas, as well as the most patience."

Hinata gave her father an appreciative smile for the compliment; Neji just smirked. Hiashi moved away from Mariko's side and sat on the wooden walkway around the courtyard to watch.

"Alright, then, what's first?" Mariko asked.

"I'll go," Hinata said, stepping forward. "I'm going to help you learn how to use your Byakugan."

"Byu-whata?" Mariko asked.

Hinata smiled. "Byakugan; the eye technique that your grandfather has been using when he trains you."

"I can do that too?" Mariko's look of confusion was wiped away and quickly replaced by a devilish grin as she yelled over to Hiashi. "Ha! Now I'll have **two** eye tricks! You'll go down for sure, old man!"

Hiashi, who had his arms crossed loosely over his chest, couldn't help a little smile at his granddaughter's enthusiasm. "We'll see; you have to learn how to use it first though."

"Oh, I'll learn, don't you worry," she said, turning back to her mother. "Alright, I'm ready. Teach on."

"Okay, when activated, the Byakugan eye ability will give you a nearly 360 degree field of vision, allowing you to see everything around you. However, there is a blind spot right at the back of the neck, so when using the Byakugan in battle, you must remember this blind spot and not allow yourself to be caught off guard. The radius within which your vision works will grow as you develop your skills, as will your degree of focus when singling out certain objects over a distance."

"Wow, this is intense," Mariko said. Suddenly, she was struck by a rather disturbing thought. "What do you have to do to activate it?" she asked, eying Neji warily as she recalled her experience when her Sharingan was activated.

"You just have to concentrate to activate it," Hinata explained, "Concentrate very hard and _feel_ your eyesight broadening."

Mariko nodded. "Right; concentrating now." She closed her eyes and tried to 'feel' her eyesight expanding, but it was a bit difficult because she didn't know what it felt like to expand her eyesight. She opened her still silver eyes and looked at her mother. "I don't know if I can."

Hinata smiled encouragingly. "You can, I know it. You were born with the ability, so you will learn how to use it. It's always a little difficult the first time, but it'll get easier and easier every time you use it. Just take a deep breath and concentrate."

Mariko nodded and inhaled deeply while closing her eyes again. She remained still and silent, erasing the sounds of everything around her one by one. The chirping of a bird was tuned out, followed by the bubbling of the tiny waterfall in the koi pond in the garden, then the rustling of the wind in the trees, until finally, the only sound she could still hear was the beating of her own heart. She felt something switch in her then, and she opened her eyes as she said, "Byakugan!"

Suddenly, she was able to see everything around her, as if a pair of blinders had been removed from her eyes. She turned her head, noting how as she moved, her eyesight adjusted so that everything remained in sight; she did notice the blind spot that her mother warned her about.

"Cool," she grinned.

Hinata smiled proudly, Hiashi nodded in approval and even Neji looked impressed to see the veins around the girl's eyes, which were still their silver color, but now had flecks of black in them as well.

"See?" Hinata asked her daughter, "It'll only get easier from here on out. So now, we'll need to work on refining your vision and I'll teach you how to use it to narrow in on a beetle that's half a mile away."

Mariko's mind was racing excitedly; a new eye technique! Her father would be so proud once he found out that she not only mastered the Sharingan, but that she was learning how to use the Byakugan as well! She wondered what he and the others were doing at that moment; she wondered if they had decided not to come back for her – to leave her in Konoha, despite the fact that they didn't know what had become of her. She felt a pang of hurt at the thought, but her mother was speaking again, describing the various methods that could be used to hone her skills, and her thoughts refocused on her current position.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, setting the vase of pink blossoms down and moving to set a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Fine," Sasuke replied, "Just…thinking."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Sakura knew that Sasuke wasn't one who liked to talk much, especially about his problems, but she sat in the chair next to his and waited anyways.

Sasuke sighed and looked up at her bright green eyes. "I just…don't know what to do about this girl…"

"What girl? Are you talking about Mariko?"

He nodded. "She looks so much like Itachi."

"Well, she's not your brother. I think you should give her a chance; start over from scratch and get to her as Mariko and not as Itachi's daughter."

"She's a killer though, Sakura," Sasuke said gravely, his already black eyes darkening. "You didn't see her on the night we caught her, when she was fighting; she has the same killer instincts that Itachi has always had."

"But think of who her mother is, Sasuke. You know as well as I do that Hinata is one of the gentlest people in the world. Surely, Mariko has some of her mother's sweet nature in her as well as her father's… well, not so sweet one."

"Hn." Sasuke gave his favorite thoughtful response as Sakura stood, leaned down to kiss the top of his head and rub his shoulder affectionately.

"Just give her a chance, you might be surprised at how different from your brother she is," the pink-haired kunoichi said before picking up the flower vase and continuing on with her task.

Sasuke mulled the thought over in his head; he knew it would be awkward for both Mariko and himself to just act as though nothing major had occurred between them earlier. He seriously doubted that she would be willing to let his less-than-kind behavior go easily. He sighed again and ran a hand through his spiky black hair and looked out the window at the steadily darkening sky.

* * *

"Uhnnnn…" Mariko groaned zombie-ishly and rubbed her eyes, "I'm gonna go blind using all these stupid eye tricks."

"What tricks?! Show me!" Sayuri bounced off of her bed and landed on Mariko's air mattress with such force that she nearly caused her older sister to go flying to the floor.

"Easy there, monkey-child," the older girl said. She blinked several times before looking up at Sayuri, who was staring down at her curiously. "Are my eyes ruined? Are they all red and freaky looking? Be honest."

Sayuri stared intently down at her sister with wide, pearly eyes. "Hmm…I don't see anything freaky…but maybe we should take your temperature just in case…"

"What?! What are you talking about?! My temperature has nothing to do with this! You're not practicing your medical skills on me, I'm not your damn guinea pig, you got that?!" Mariko had jumped up from her bed and run off down the hall to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Sayuri just sat there for a moment, in open-mouthed shock at her big sister's behavior, before shrugging and going down to the kitchen for breakfast.

In the bathroom, Mariko leaned on the sink, studying her reflection in the mirror, paying particular attention to her eyes. She quietly activated her Sharingan and watched as they went from silver to crimson, then back as she turned them off. It took her a little longer to get her Byakugan working, but she got it after a short while and she really stared herself down when she did.

"Freaky," she whispered softly to no one in particular as she inspected the veins that now protruded at her temples and the black specks that dotted her silver irises. She decided that she was going to use her newfound ability to torment Hidan in some way, shape or form. "And then after that I'll beat Kisame's fishy ass down during sword training," she muttered, squeezing a ribbon of toothpaste on her toothbrush and scrubbing her teeth furiously.

She had been too drained to train with Neji yesterday after having worked on her Byakugan with her mother for several hours, so Hiashi decided that it would be better for him to work with her today, after she had rested and would be able to use all the strength she was allotted to practice this technique.

Mariko grimaced through her toothpaste foam at the sight of that accursed phoenix necklace, swinging back and forth with the motion of her arm. "Ah hat ooh," she said to it, the minty foam in her mouth inhibiting her ability to speak properly. She spat out the toothpaste and turned on the faucet, bending her head down so that she could take a drink right out of the stream of water.

Once she had washed up a little bit and changed into clothes that were suitable for training, Mariko went downstairs to find most of her family sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

Hachi was finishing up his oatmeal and he jumped up when Keiji entered the house without knocking, coming so that he could walk with his cousin to the academy. Sayuri and Jiro were arguing about something and looked to be on the brink of a fried-egg fight; Mariko was prepared to run for cover at any second, but Hinata stopped them in her calm and soothing way, and soon, both of the children were eating contentedly again.

Hinata smiled at her oldest daughter as she took her seat among her siblings. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

Mariko nodded, stretching her arms above her head and rubbing her eyes. "Do you have any pineapple juice?" she asked, having felt a strong craving for it recently.

Hinata searched through the shelves of the refrigerator. "Uhh…I don't think so; sorry. We have orange juice."

"Nah, that's alright; I'll just have some tea," Mariko said, still rubbing one eye with the heel of her hand.

Hinata noticed this as she set a cup of steaming tea in front of her daughter. "Are your eyes bothering you?" she asked, the concern in her voice evident.

"A little," Mariko admitted. Normally, she didn't let anyone else know when she was in any physical discomfort, but her eyesight was not something that she was willing to risk. "They feel kinda…fuzzy? I guess that's the best way to describe it."

"Do they burn at all?" Hinata asked.

Mariko shook her head. "No, and Sayuri said that they looked alright. It's probably just from being overworked."

But apparently, Hinata was also not going to be too dismissive of Mariko's eyesight. "I'd feel better if you had them checked out; I can ask Sakura to take a quick look."

Mariko didn't feel like listening to her pink-haired aunt ramble on and try overly hard to make friends with her, but she supposed that it was better than going to the hospital, so she shrugged and said, "Sure, whatever. But I'm going to training first."

She had been disappointed that she hadn't had enough energy to train with Neji the day before, and she was not about to put it off again, especially for a check-up that would take ten minutes at the most and would probably reveal that nothing was seriously wrong with her vision, never mind the fact that it made her eyes were making her a little nervous.

Hinata sighed. "I'll tell you what, you go over to the manor and I'll ask Sakura if she can meet you there and take a look at your eyes, alright?"

Mariko nodded; glad that she would be able to get her eyes looked at and train at the same time. She looked up at the clock on the wall before draining the remaining contents of her teacup and getting up, pausing at the door to pull on her boots before walking out into the sunny morning light.

* * *

"Itachi, when is Mariko coming back?" The swirly-masked man enquired of the quiet Uchiha, looking up at him inquisitively.

Itachi had been sitting on a tree branch, leaning against the trunk with his injured hand in his lap. It was still slightly swollen and darkly bruised and there were a few unnatural bumps where the small finger bones had fused back together. Upon hearing himself being addressed by Tobi, he glanced down to where the other Akatsuki member was standing.

"Soon, Tobi; Mariko will be back soon."

"Good, because I miss her," was all Tobi said before turning and walking off.

Itachi watched him go before turning his thoughts back to the encounter he'd had during his trip to Konoha. _How dare she?! How dare she try to keep __my__ daughter from me?! How dare she say that I've been a less-than-satisfactory father to my child and how dare she try to pass judgment on the environment in which I raised her?! _

Hinata's words had hurt him deeper than he had let on; not only his pride, but his heart as well. He was still angered by her blunt refusal to give Mariko up. _So what if Hiashi is "interested" in training her? More likely than not, he's planning on slapping a curse seal on her the first chance he gets. And all that bullshit about Mariko only being able to be "proud" of her accomplishments as a member of Konoha…she'd just be a tool – a weapon – to them…one that would be carefully watched. They may as well just strap a leash and collar on her, because she'd be nothing more than a fighting dog to them – one that they wouldn't hesitate to put down at the first sign of disloyalty. _

The more he thought, the more infuriated he became; the thought of anyone using his daughter like a pawn, the way they had attempted to use him all those years ago, was sickening to him. Mariko needed her freedom, and he knew she was still too young and naïve to understand that Konoha was merely prepping her for their own use. They would train her up and once they had her under control enough to use her, they would unleash her on any enemies with the knowledge that she would be strong enough and talented enough to obliterate them.

He winced slightly when his injured hand smarted from being clenched too tightly and glared down at it accusingly. The angry purple and black bruises looked back just as fiercely. He sighed and looked straight up at the tangle of tree branches that seemed to go on forever in the forest.

* * *

"You sure you're ready for this?" Neji asked the girl standing before him; she was perfectly still in the defensive position, like a tightly coiled spring ready to let loose at his first attack.

Mariko nodded, her silver eyes never leaving Neji's pale ones. A light breeze teased the strands of jet hair that hung on each side of her face as she stared him down. She still didn't trust him, despite what Hiashi had told her about him feeling remorseful for his brutal treatment of her during her prison stay, and she knew that she was overly tense about the impending spar. For all she knew, this was simply a way for Neji to get in some extra hits on her and claim that it was unintended.

Without warning, Neji suddenly came at her, rushing from across the small training ground. Hiashi was watching with rapt attention from his position on the walkway.

Mariko waited until Neji was only a few strides away from her before she sprang forward and ducked his first disabling thrust with his hand, coming up with a quick jab to his ribs with her fist and jumping out of reach once more.

Neji smirked. "Good one."

Mariko just shrugged. "Thanks," she replied nonchalantly.

Neji activated his Byakugan; Mariko was a little hesitant since Sakura hadn't yet confirmed that there was nothing wrong with her eyes, but her competitive nature won out and she activated her Sharingan.

Hiashi was fully focused on the spar between his nephew and his granddaughter; they had both activated eye abilities, so the fight was about to get really interesting. He had hoped that Mariko would have chosen to use her Byakugan, but he supposed that she still wasn't entirely comfortable with it yet.

The two opponents waited for a brief moment before running at each other again. This time, Mariko tried a zigzagging tactic, planning to fake a left and attack his right, but Neji seemed to predict her movements and dodged her punch while simultaneously jabbing her in the forearm with his first two fingers.

Mariko grimaced; she hated this fighting style, it always left her sore and with those irritating tiny round bruises.

Neji was grinning mischievously. "You could try using the moves I showed you instead of those brawling techniques, you know."

Mariko huffed. "They're not brawling techniques! And I don't like your little Juuken Hyuuga-style anyways!"

Hiashi chuckled from his seat. He turned when he heard approaching footsteps and saw Hinata and Sakura walking over to him.

The two kunoichi took a seat next to the Hyuuga lord and Hinata asked, "How's it going?"

"Well," her father replied, "Your daughter is currently refusing to try the Juuken style that Neji taught her and insists on swinging her fists around like an untrained ruffian. As far as the status of the spar goes, they're on fairly equal ground, since they've each gotten in one hit so far."

Hinata nodded absently as she became absorbed in watching her daughter and cousin strike at each other. Sakura also became captivated by the pair's movements; Neji's offensive onslaught appearing as effortless as always, and Mariko's dodges around his hands were quick and fluid, evidence of her natural abilities and good breeding.

The two women each uttered a small gasp when Mariko's intended hit was thwarted by a firm stab to her shoulder by Neji's fingers; Hiashi chuckled lightly and patted his daughter's knee reassuringly.

Mariko glowered at her cousin while rubbing the now-sore spot in her shoulder. "Okay," she muttered under her breath, "If that's how you wanna play, then fine, I'll play."

She waited for Neji to make his next move, and when he did, she concentrated with her blood-red eyes, committing his movements to her memory instantaneously. Then, as if her body was a separate entity from her mind, she moved forward in the exact manner in which Neji was advancing on her.

He raised his hand, fingers ready to deliver another strike; she raised her hand as well, her fingers also poised for an attack. At the exact same instant, the two of them thrust their hands forward, stabbing deep into each other's chests. It brought them to a standstill, each one breathing hard and sweating, their fingers still jabbed into one another.

Mariko smirked triumphantly. "See?" she panted, "I can learn and I can do it if I want to."

"Well, I knew that. Your mother is one of Konoha's most talented shinobi and your father is one of the best in the entire history of the village; I never had any doubts that you _could_ do it, I'm just glad that you actually _did_ it." Neji lowered his arm and Mariko followed suit.

Hiashi stood and clapped lightly as he made his way over to them; Hinata and Sakura stood but remained on the walkway.

"That was very well done, Mariko," Hiashi praised his granddaughter, "Now that you know the basics of Juuken and you can activate your Byakugan, I expect you to practice using them. The next time you spar with Neji, I'd like to see you use them, rather than your Sharingan and…less-refined fighting tactics."

Mariko let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, alright, fine," she said reluctantly as she blew one of the long pieces of her hair out of her face and back to the side of her face where it belonged.

Neji nodded to her. "Good fight; if you keep practicing, then **maybe** you'll be able to put up a real fight next time." He grinned.

Mariko rolled her eyes overdramatically. "Oh please, I was going so easy on you! Granddad says he wants me to use Juuken and Byakugan next time though, so I'll apologize in advance for kicking your ass." She smiled sweetly; Neji just laughed.

Mariko walked over to where her mother and aunt were standing.

"How are your eyes?" Hinata asked anxiously.

The girl shrugged. "They feel fine; you wanna look?" she asked Sakura, who nodded.

"Yeah, if that's alright; I figure it's best to be overly careful in this case." The pink-haired medic stared into her niece's silver eyes with her emerald ones, looking for any obvious outward signs of a problem. There appeared to be none - Mariko's eyes were clear – so she lifted her fingers to the girl's temples and gently eased her chakra in, probing around the optical nerves and feeling around for a sign that something was not right.

After several minutes of Sakura concentrating deeply on her task and Mariko doing her best not to show her discomfort, the medic pulled out and straightened up.

"Well," she said to both Hinata and Mariko, "I didn't find anything; it all looks good. But be careful and don't overuse either of your eye jutsus, and make sure you let me know if you notice anything abnormal, whether it's visible or just a strange feeling, alright?"

Mariko nodded, relieved that her worries had been put to rest and she could now concentrate fully on her training, for she planned to make good on her pre-apology – or rather, threat – to Neji by beating him down so badly the next time they sparred. She mechanically followed Hinata and Sakura through the mansion, grinning sadistically to herself as she imagined her victory over him.

_Hah, I am going to wipe the ground with him! That'll teach him for beating me nearly senseless in prison, that jerk! _

Suddenly, Mariko couldn't wait for her next sparring match against her cousin.

* * *

Hinata and Sakura were chatting animatedly as they walked back to the Uzumaki residence and Mariko was plotting her incredible comeback spar against Neji. However, a strange chill ran up her spine, the kind she only got when she felt hidden eyes on her. She glanced at the people on each side of her as she passed through the streets; they were emptying quickly, since it was nearly sundown and the temperature was decreasing along with the sunlight.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up and she whipped around quickly, her long black ponytail flying out behind her. She activated her Sharingan and scanned the people in the streets and in the various food stalls and shops, but she couldn't pinpoint anything out of the ordinary. Still though, she felt uneasy. She shuddered once more before turning and jogging to catch up to her mother and aunt. She let her eyes go silver again, but she still kept throwing suspicious glances at the people that they passed.

No one had noticed the hooded figure in one of the food stalls who had been observing them. He smirked to himself, the light from the stand's paper lanterns glinting off of glass and metal as he shifted his face slightly.

"A very interesting girl indeed," he murmured softly before sipping his cup of tea.

* * *

_Is this the return to Oz?_

_The grass is dead, the gold is brown and the sky has claws_

_There's a wind-up man walking round and round_

_What once was Emerald City is now a crystal town_

_--"Return to Oz"_

* * *

**Ooooooohhhhhhh...mysterious...can you guess who was watching them?? Lol! **

**Hope you liked it!! Don't forget to review for me, 'kay?? :D **


	21. How Do You Do

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* * *

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Hello everyone! I know it's been awhile, but I've honestly been working on this chapter since I posted the last one. It was a little tough to write, because I get this feeling that the story is coming to a close and I needed to tie up the loose ends. So this chapter is mainly a transitional one that is setting the scene for the ending (meaning that there isn't a TON of action).

**I hope it's not too boring! **

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I didn't quite get the 25 that I had been hoping for, but I am very pleased with what I did get, so thanks much!!**

**As always, R&R, it makes me happy :D And most importantly, enjoy the chapter!!**

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "How Do You Do" by Shakira; End Credits: "With You" by Linkin Park; Others: "Endlessly She Said" by AFI, "Our Own Way" by Mushroomhead, "Better" by Plumb, "Truth" by Seether**

_**How Do You Do**_

_How do you do?_

_How does it feel to be so high?_

_And are you happy? Do you ever cry?_

_You've made mistakes, well that's ok 'cause we all have_

_But if I forgive yours, Will you forgive mine?_

_-- "How Do You Do"_

* * *

"The Hokage wants to see me? Why?"

It was midday and Mariko was in the backyard going through her Juuken motions that Neji had taught her while Sayuri, Jiro and the Inuzuka twins, Mai and Yukio, watched and occasionally attempted to copy her movements. Naruto had been at the Hokage's office that morning, reporting on a mission that he had just returned from late the night before. He immediately sought his stepdaughter out when he arrived back at the house to deliver the Hokage's request for a meeting.

"She didn't tell me why, just that she needed to speak with you," he replied.

"When?"

"Sometime this evening; she said not to come before five though."

Mariko nodded and went back to practicing her fighting forms, but her mind was elsewhere.

_I haven't done anything wrong, so she can't throw me back in prison. Well, I guess __technically__ she could, since I am still a prisoner, just one with privileges. But why would she do that? I'm guessing that she isn't going to tell me that they've decided to let me go home… _

She couldn't come up with any reason that Lady Tsunade would want to see her, so she tried to push it out of her mind and focus on her training instead.

She was significantly more comfortable using her Byakugan and she could now see for up to three-quarters of a mile in any direction. She had no problem seeing humans and large animals, and she was working on focusing on birds and smaller animals to sharpen her eyesight.

The Juuken was also becoming easier for her. She still had her training sessions with Hiashi, so she was able to practice it with him – he wasn't too shabby in that particular style himself, after all – and he also showed her some new tactics for combat.

The Hyuuga lord had told his granddaughter that Neji had agreed to spar with her again that week, and the news had put Mariko into a state of eager anticipation. She had arrived at the mansion every morning hopeful that that would be the day that she got to show up her cousin, and every day thus far, she had been disappointed when she discovered that she would be training with Hiashi and not Neji. It wasn't that her grandfather was a bad training partner; he just wasn't as good as Neji.

"Mariko!"

The girl was jolted out of her concentration by her brother's high voice. She deactivated her Byakugan as she turned to face him, wondering why he insisted on yelling all the time.

"What is it Jiro?" she asked.

"Will you take us to the academy to see Hachi and Keiji?" he asked hopefully.

"I don't think we're allowed when they're having classes; besides, we don't want to distract them, right?" Mariko tried to reason with her black-haired brother.

"Aw, please?! If we go now, it'll be break-time when we get there and we can play with them," Sayuri put in her own plea.

The four children turned their eyes up to her and Mariko knew that to argue further would be useless; she sighed in defeat.

"Alright, fine," she groaned. "Let's go."

The kids cheered and dashed ahead towards the academy. Mariko grabbed the long-sleeved shirt she had discarded during her training and pulled it on over her tank top as she walked after the children.

Sayuri and Jiro were behaving like perfectly savage little creatures due to the presence of Inuzuka Mai and Yukio, who were apparently always this wild and seemed to bring it out in their companions. Upon meeting them, Mariko had found the twins rather fascinating; each child had one brown eye and one blue one, but Mai had dark brown hair like her father's while Yukio's reddish-orange hair was a mystery to everyone, especially his parents. Still, Mariko thought that they complemented one another nicely.

When they arrived at the academy ten minutes later, Mariko found that Sayuri was right; they had made it in time for the students' midday break.

The two Uzumaki children rushed over to Hachi and Keiji as soon as they spotted them, while Mai and Yukio ran to greet their older brother, Suoh.

Mariko waved lightly to Hachi and Keiji before leaning back against a tree trunk to watch over her siblings while they played. She felt out of place here; she had never been to school – her father and the other Akatsuki members had taught her everything she knew – so she wasn't comfortable with the idea of being crammed into close quarters with at least thirty other people for an entire day.

She was busy scanning over the crowd of children who seemed to range in age from about seven or eight to early teens. She tried to picture them as shinobi; none of them seemed that fearsome now, they all looked so innocent.

"Hey, you lost, pretty girl?" An obnoxious voice asked.

Mariko turned to face the source of the question and was met by the sight of two men – one with shaggy brown hair that fell over his eyes and the other with crazy, spiky black hair, a bandage over the bridge of his nose and a mischievous grin on his face; Mariko guessed that it was the latter who had spoken to her.

"No, I'm not lost," she replied, tingeing her words with a hint of venom, hoping to seem off-putting so that they would leave her alone.

Spikes took a few steps forward. "Well then you must be new around here because I've never seen you before."

"I'm visiting," Mariko replied shortly.

"Oh really?" Spikes asked in an over-exaggerated tone; Shaggy rolled his eyes. "And where are you from then?"

"Akatsuki."

The devilish grin fell from Spikes' face and both he and Shaggy stared at her like she had suddenly sprouted another head; Mariko just smirked and turned her eyes back to the school yard.

"What are you doing here?" Shaggy asked.

"I'm a prisoner."

"No, no, I mean what are you doing _here_, at the academy?" Shaggy and Spikes were both acting nervously now, like they had been poking at a snake they thought was harmless only to discover on closer inspection that it was actually venomous.

"Plotting world domination by taking over the school," Mariko replied in a viciously sarcastic tone. "I'm watching my brothers and sister, dummy."

"Wait, what? Brothers and sister? Who are they?" Spikes was visibly concerned now and he ventured a few steps closer to where the silver-eyed girl was leaning on the tree.

"I'm not giving you information on my family! I don't even know you! For all I know _you_ could be plotting world domination by taking over the school!" Mariko turned again, this time facing him with her entire body, and she crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her.

"I work for the Hokage – we both do," he gestured towards Shaggy, who seemed confused as to how they managed to have the tables turned on them and now they were the ones being questioned.

"That means nothing to me; you could be imposters. Working for the Hokage would certainly make you _seem_ trustworthy, wouldn't it? I bet that's just what you two planned: get everyone to trust you and then make your move. I suppose it's clever, a bit unoriginal though," Mariko shrugged, inwardly breaking out into hysterical laughter over the completely baffled looks on the faces of Shaggy and Spikes.

A bell rang and the students in the schoolyard all reluctantly filed back into the academy building; the two Uzumaki and two Inuzuka children started to make their way over to Mariko, who said to the two men staring at her, "Oh look, playtime's over; sorry gents, gotta run. It was nice talking to you though." And with an evil smirk and a lofty wave, the silver-eyed girl went to meet the four younger children and walked away with them.

Back by the tree, Kotetsu and Izumo hadn't moved; each one was still too bewildered by the unexpected encounter they'd just had with the strange girl.

"_**Who**_ was that, again?" Kotetsu asked.

Izumo shook his head. "I have no idea, but I think she just pulled a reverse psychology move on us."

"Whoa…" Kotetsu said in amazement; Izumo nodded his agreement.

* * *

Mariko had decided to go to the Hokage's after dinner. As soon as she was done eating, she excused herself and headed out. The sun was already beginning to set, lighting up the bare treetops with blazes of fire. The wind kicked up a little, bringing the familiar and comforting smells of autumn with it.

The spicy blend of scents made her think longingly of Hidan, who she had always associated the seasonal smells with, and she felt the sharp pang of loss in her chest.

She absentmindedly kicked a rock down the street as she thought. She had figured out not too long ago that she loved Hidan; even if he didn't return her feelings and though he had told her time and again that he didn't love her, it didn't matter. She was a little upset with herself because she had always harshly criticized women in books or on TV who were chasing after a man they claimed they loved but who didn't love them back. She had called them weak and stupid and commented to whoever was near her at the time that they should get a life and quit being such whiny ditzes.

Well now here she was, in the exact same scenario. She was in love with a man who didn't love her back. It was true that she wasn't pining away over him – she was much too busy to be that extreme – but her heart did ache for him.

She let out a heavy sigh and tried to push thoughts of the silver-haired priest out of her mind as she approached the Hokage tower.

She entered the tower and walked up several flights of stairs before reaching a long corridor with tons of doors on each side. Mariko figured that she would be able to tell which one opened up to the Hokage's office just by looking, but she decided to activate her Byakugan because she wondered what else went on in this tower.

She quietly activated her maternal bloodline ability and peered through the doors and walls as she made her way down the hallway. She was disappointed to see that there was very little activity at the moment; she had been hoping to witness some huge secret plot to defeat Otogakure, Iwakagure or even Akatsuki being drawn up. Naruto had told her of the fierce enmity that existed between Konoha, Iwa and Oto, and she already knew that they weren't friendly with Akatsuki.

_Obviously, or else I wouldn't be here_, she thought as she continued to scan the rooms through the doors.

The one thing she did see that interested her was Neji sitting at a table and talking with her uncle and Kakashi. She had to fight the urge to bust into the room right then and demand a sparring match from her cousin. She even slowed her pace until she was standing still, mentally telling her limbs to keep on moving, but physically unable to do so, the temptation was so great. Kakashi looked up from the discussion for a moment, right at the wall that Mariko was behind, and gave a quick smile before refocusing on whatever they were doing.

The girl in the hallway was momentarily taken aback, thinking that he had seen her. But she dismissed it as coincidence and was finally able to get her feet to take her forward, continuing down the hallway.

* * *

He had sensed her coming down the hallway by the chakra that she put out using her Byakugan, and he knew that she must have seen them and paused to watch them from the hallway. He chuckled lightly to himself at her startled expression after he had smiled at her, drawing strange looks from Sasuke and Neji.

"What's so funny?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing, I was just thinking of something," Kakashi replied in his lazy drawl.

Sasuke and Neji exchanged confused glances. "Okay then…anyways, like I was saying…" Sasuke continued going over the protocol with the two.

* * *

Mariko was correct in her earlier assumption that she would have been able to tell which door belonged to the Hokage's office just by looking at the outside. The looming double doors just screamed "important!" at passers-by. Still, she thought she'd have a bit of fun spying before she entered.

She saw the blonde-haired woman sitting at her desk, holding a paper in one hand and using the other to cradle her head. Mariko smirked when she removed the hand from her head to pick up a cup of sake, which she drained in one swallow.

A few moments later, Mariko was startled when the older woman yelled impatiently, "Are you going to actually come in or are you just going to stand there spying through the walls?!"

_Dammit!_ Mariko thought, _how can these people tell that I'm spying?! Stupid Byakugan! What good is it if everyone knows when you use it?_

She deactivated her eyes and shuffled into the office with a glum pout on her face at being caught again. "You wanted to see me?" she muttered.

"Take a seat," Tsunade gestured towards a chair that sat facing her desk; Mariko plopped herself down in it.

The Lady Hokage and the Akatsuki girl stared at each other for several long moments during which neither of them spoke.

"So," Tsunade was first to break the silence, "How have you been?"

Mariko was totally caught off-guard by the older woman's casual tone, like they were old friends who were finally getting the chance to catch up with each other.

"Um…I'm fine, I guess," she replied hesitantly.

"Are you enjoying your stay with your family?" the Sannin continued.

"Yeah, they're pretty nice." _Where is she going with this?_ Mariko wondered.

"ANBU has noticed that you seem to be settling in nicely," Tsunade continued.

"I've _adjusted_, not settled," the silver-eyed girl corrected the Hokage, "I'm not staying."

"Is that so?" Tsunade narrowed her amber eyes slightly.

Mariko nodded. "Yes; I'm leaving as soon as my father comes for me."

"What if he doesn't come for you?" Tsunade asked, "After all, it's already been…what, three weeks?"

At this comment, Mariko felt anger flare up in her; crimson started to seep into her silver irises. "He will come for me," she said with dead certainty.

Tsunade gave a small, throaty laugh at the girl's reaction. "Now, now, there's no need to get all angry…it was just a thought," she paused while she poured herself another cup of sake, "However, you do realize that if – oh, excuse me, _when_ – your father returns to Konoha, he will be imprisoned."

It was Mariko's turn to give a small, dark laugh. "You'll have to catch him first; good luck with that."

The Hokage's amber eyes locked with Mariko's now-scarlet ones challengingly and the two women stared each other down hard. Tsunade's eye twitched slightly and the corner of Mariko's mouth turned up in a grim smirk.

Once again, Tsunade broke first. "Well, that's a shame that you won't be staying with us," she said, her tone once more that of pleasant conversation, "I'm sure that with your natural abilities and the skill that you undoubtedly possess, you could have gone far in the shinobi ranks. I have no doubt that in a matter of months you could have joined your uncle and cousin in the ANBU."

"Yeah, since Sasuke's _so_ fond of me," Mariko sneered.

"He'd get over it," the Sannin said before draining her sake cup.

Mariko shook her head. "I don't belong here anyways."

Tsunade looked at the girl before her; her eyes had gone back to their natural silver color and she was looking distantly out of the office window at the sky, streaked the colors of blood and fire by the sun's last fading rays.

"You could belong here," the Lady Hokage said in a tone that was much gentler than the one she had used until then; Mariko looked at her doubtfully. "I'm not saying it wouldn't be difficult, but you're strong and you've handled change well so far."

Mariko leaned forward in her chair, fixing the Hokage with her intense, ethereal stare. "How do you know I won't turn on you like my father did? Hm? How can you be so sure that I wouldn't snap one day and slaughter my entire family while they slept? Are you really willing to take that risk?" Of course, Mariko knew that she would never harm her family – quite contrarily, she would give her life to protect them if it came to that – but she wondered if the Hokage had considered this and wanted to see what sort of reaction she would get from the blonde.

Tsunade was a woman who did not like being threatened; she had never reacted well to having threats made to her own person, but since she had become Hokage of Konoha, she took even less kindly to those who threatened her village and its people.

She folded her hands and rested her chin on them, also leaning forward slightly and hardening her gaze once more. She spoke to Mariko in a low, dangerous voice. "Look, I'm offering you a chance that not many of our prisoners get; if you don't want to take advantage of it, then fine, but don't you _ever_ make a threat like that in my presence. If I didn't have such respect for your mother and stepfather, I'd throw your ungrateful ass back in prison right now. Your father is a traitor and a murderer and if he comes back here, he will be caught and then he'll be executed."

Mariko's hands tightened into fists, turning her knuckles white and her silver eyes bled into scarlet again while her lithe frame trembled in fury. "So," she said shakily, barely containing the wrath in her voice, "What you're really proposing when you ask me to join in your little village is that I turn on my father and become enemies with the men who raised me."

Tsunade couldn't help smirking. "Well, betrayal runs in your blood, after all; your father shouldn't be surprised."

"It takes a traitor to know a traitor," Mariko whispered dangerously. "I'd _really_ like to leave now."

For a moment, it looked as though Tsunade was about to put up more of a fight, but she seemed to think the better of it. "Fine, you're dismissed."

Mariko stood up, violently shoving her chair back as she did. She walked over to the door before pausing and craning her head so that she could look at the blonde woman once more. "I want my sword back," she demanded.

"I don't think you'll be getting that back for some time yet," the Hokage said flatly.

Mariko, however, acted as though she didn't even hear the other woman. "I expect it back by tomorrow evening." With that, she left the office, slamming the door forcefully behind her and stormed down the hallway.

Tsunade growled as she buried her face in her hands and gripped chunks of her long blonde hair in frustration, trying to keep herself from throwing anything through the window.

* * *

Sasuke had just concluded his meeting with Neji and Kakashi and was about to head home when he heard the slam of the Hokage's door, followed by heavy footsteps. He turned to see his niece stomping her way down the hallway, her eyes burning red and a look of death on her face. She appeared to not even notice him as she raged down the corridor.

He had heard that Tsunade had wanted to speak with her; by the looks of things, it hadn't gone well.

Sakura's words of advice flickered through his mind as he watched his brother's daughter, and with a great deal of effort to make himself sound as non-imposing as possible, he called out to her. "Hey."

Mariko had caught sight of her uncle in her peripheral vision, but she was too angry to pay him any mind. When he spoke to her though, she stopped and slowly turned her head to look at him with dangerous eyes. "What?" she hissed.

Sasuke hadn't actually expected her to stop, but she had, and now he realized that he had nothing to say to her. "What's wrong?" he finally asked.

At this seemingly innocent question, Mariko completely rounded on him and stormed back over to where he was standing and proceeded to get up in his face as she screamed, " 'What's wrong'?! Like you fucking care anyways! Don't act all nice to me now, you sonofabitch, you're not fooling me! I'm not staying, I'm getting my sword and then I'm going to wait for my father to come and get me and there's nothing that you or that bitchy Hokage can do to make me stay!" And with that outburst, she was off again.

Sasuke was slightly dumbstruck for a moment; he shook his head, making sure that he hadn't just dreamt that entire scenario. He followed the path that his niece had taken out of the tower and it wasn't hard to pick up on her chakra signature – she still had a long ways to go before she learned how to effectively manipulate and mask it – and after walking a brief way to the edge of the woods, he found her slumped against a tree, ripping tufts of grass out of the soft earth.

He kept a bit of distance between them, not wanting to seem imposing, and tried to think of something to say to her. _What would Sakura do?_

But he was saved the trouble of making the first move when Mariko said, with a slight tremble to her voice, "I'm not a traitor to my family. I'm not going to turn on them and I will **never** take sides against them."

"You mean your father and the Akatsuki?" Sasuke asked, though it came out more as a statement.

Mariko dug her fingers into the dirt on each side of her. "They are the ones who raised me and took care of me for seventeen years…I've been here for three, measly, fucking weeks and everyone's acting all shocked that I would choose him over my mother," she whirled around to look up at him then, and he saw unshed tears in her eyes, which were once more silver. "Have they forgotten that the only reason I'm even here is because I'm a fucking prisoner?!"

Unable to hold in her pent up anger, frustration and homesickness any longer, Mariko buried her face in her hands and began to sob with enough force to shake her slender frame. "I just want to go home," she cried in a muffled voice. "I want to go home…"

_Oh fuck, she's crying. What the hell do I do now?_ Sasuke's mind was racing as he tried to think of something that would calm the girl down. The only thing he could come up with was to cautiously move to her side and stoop down to put an awkward, comforting hand on her shoulder.

But Mariko jerked away from under his hand. "Don't fucking touch me," she choked, turning her watery eyes up at him accusingly. "Don't act like I don't know that you would be first in line to imprison my father; you'd probably want to deliver the killing blow to him yourself."

Sasuke withdrew his hand quickly, as if recoiling from a snakebite. "Your father – my brother – was the one person who I ever really looked up to. When I was young, all I wanted was to be around him, to spend time with him. And then he shattered my entire world in one night; **everything** that I knew and cared about was gone, including my older brother. I don't even recognize him anymore."

Mariko sniffed; Sasuke looked down at her. "And then you showed up, looking just like him and even wielding his old sword and I just…snapped. He wasn't here for me to take out my anger on, so I vented on you. But," he took a breath, "That was wrong of me. The history between my brother and I has nothing to do with you, and I'm…I'm sorry…for hurting you."

She drew in her breath slightly; he sounded almost like Hidan had when he apologized to her that morning in her room. That seemed so far away now; her entire life with her father and pseudo-uncles seemed so far away. Mariko looked at Sasuke with pleading eyes. "Please, just let me go home," she begged in a whisper.

"I can't," he replied softly. "You're a member of a criminal organization, a prisoner of the village, and I'm the captain of their elite ninja squad; I can't just let you go."

"You're also my uncle…my family by blood," she said, "Blood ties are the deepest bonds that can exist between people."

Sasuke smirked bitterly. "And those are the people that have the power to hurt you the most."

Mariko nodded in silent agreement, recalling how hurt she'd been by her father's stunt to activate her Sharingan.

"Is it really so bad here?" Sasuke asked, going so far as to sit down two feet from his niece.

Mariko shook her head. "No, it's not bad at all. That's not why I want to leave. My family is great and I'm glad that I got to know them; that makes it a bit more difficult for me to leave, but I still don't want to stay here forever. I don't like being tied to a place."

"Then why are you so insistent on returning to Akatsuki?" Sasuke asked.

"That's completely different," Mariko explained. "It's true that there's a place that we call home, but we're always going off all around the world. I love that; being able to travel and go wherever I want whenever I want, seeing exotic people and places, it's incredible. And I can tell you right now that being part of this village where you go **nowhere** without the Hokage's permission is not my idea of freedom; it's like being on a long chain."

Sasuke knew exactly what she was talking about. More than once he had been overtaken by a wanderlust that he couldn't placate because the Hokage hadn't allowed him to leave the village at the time. "Yeah, sometimes I get that feeling too."

Mariko sighed, crossed her arms over top of her bent knees and laid her head on them; her breakdown had left her tired and she shivered when a gust of chilly evening wind blew.

"You should go back to your mother's now," Sasuke said gently; Mariko didn't fail to notice that he hadn't referred to it as 'home'. "Are you going to be alright?"

She nodded, pushing herself up off of the ground and brushing dead leaves and shredded grass from her clothing. She walked a few steps off before pausing and turning slightly. "Um…thanks…for listening; it was good for me to be able to talk to someone."

Sasuke nodded. "We're family."

A tiny smile flitted across her lips as she turned away once more and continued walking.

He watched her go and felt a sense of contentment settle on him at the fact that he had managed to ease some of the tension and hard feelings between them. Sakura had been right; she wasn't as similar to Itachi as he had thought, in fact, she seemed more like Hinata now, although still much more rough around the edges. She may be his brother's daughter, but she was not his brother.

* * *

Mariko awoke the next morning feeling sick. It was similar to the feeling that had overcome her in prison when she was missing her Akatsuki family so terribly. The morning sunlight spilled through the window and she could tell that it was much later than the time she normally awoke.

She sat up and noticed that her little sister was not in her bed; she was surprised that Sayuri hadn't woken her when she had gotten up, whether intentionally or not.

Mariko sighed and flopped down on her mattress again, rolling her black luck beads between her fingers as she lay on her back, staring at the ceiling and thinking.

_That Hokage had better give me back my sword. As soon as I get it, I am so out of here before they try to __**force**__ me to stay. _

The prospect of being thrown into prison again or restrained from going back to her father in some other way caused a strange mix of anger, sadness and regret to fill her. She did really like her family in Konoha; Naruto and her mother had shown her nothing but kindness since she was captured, her brothers and sister were everything that she could have hoped for in siblings, her younger cousins were good kids who had accepted her despite her sketchy lineage, her grandfather had actually shared his knowledge with her and helped her learn new abilities, and even Neji and Sasuke – who she had thought she would be enemies with forever, just like her father – had warmed up to her and had eventually shown her kindness. She hadn't lied to Sasuke when she said that it would be harder to leave Konoha now that her family was no longer unknown to her.

She would miss them once she was gone, but at least she had fulfilled her lifelong wish to find and get to know her mother; Naruto and the kids, as well as her extended family, had come as a pleasant surprise.

Mariko rolled over onto her stomach and pushed herself up once more, but this time, she actually stayed up. She padded over to the window and looked outside at the sunlit village and almost immediately, she could sense something imminent. She didn't quite know what it was exactly; it was just an intuitive feeling. She turned her Sharingan on and scanned the area that she could view from the window. When she found nothing wrong, she switched over to her Byakugan; still, she saw nothing.

As the veins around her eyes disappeared and the black flecks in her silver irises cleared out, Mariko wondered what change was coming.

She changed out of her pajamas and into her simple outfit of black leggings, a white tank top with a grey zip-up sweatshirt over it and her black boots. She didn't bother brushing her long, jet hair; she merely combed her fingers through it a few times before pulling it back into its normal low ponytail.

She slowly made her way downstairs; it was unusually quiet. She knew that Hachi was at the academy and Naruto was off working, and she figured that Hinata had taken Jiro and Sayuri out somewhere, or they were off with their friends while their mother ran errands; the possibilities of their whereabouts were endless.

As she opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of pineapple juice – opting once more to drink it straight out of the carton rather than use a glass – she felt the odd sensation wash over her again. She waited, not moving, for several silent moments; the quiet, a stranger in this house, was eerie and Mariko shivered slightly. But nothing happened.

She returned the juice carton to the fridge and walked outside. She let her silver eyes roam the streets and the people in them, studying as many of them as closely as she could.

She then began to walk forward, not having any idea of where her feet were taking her, merely that she was moving; she was still busy watching the crowds of people. It was as if some invisible thread was toting her along and she couldn't resist its pull even if she had tried. So she shuffled on to some location that was unknown to her, keeping a watchful eye on the people around her.

When Mariko's feet were finally still, she was facing a wall of trees that made up the edge of the western woods. Every fiber of her being was on edge, literally tingling with anticipation of what was to come. Had she been able to think clearly, she would have thought that it must be a sensation similar to the one that lightning users got before an electrical storm. But she couldn't think straight; her mind was clouded by whatever impending force was making its way to her.

She took a breath and instantly knew it was going to rain that evening; she could taste the humidity on her tongue and she could _feel_ the tension in the back of her throat, nearly choking her.

Even when she felt another presence behind her and slightly to her right, she didn't turn to face it; she simply remained mesmerized by the woods before her.

"Something's coming," she whispered in a grated voice.

"I know," Kakashi replied, his normally nonchalant voice significantly darkened as he moved closer to her side, "That's why I brought you this."

He held something out in front of her, and Mariko finally tore her eyes away from the trees to see what it was that he was offering her: it was her father's sword.

* * *

Hidan glanced up at the sky; the weather had been sunny and pleasant up until then, but a sudden change in the wind had told him that it wasn't going to last much longer.

"It's gonna storm," he commented to Itachi, who was standing a little ways off, testing his hand that had recently finished healing.

The Uchiha paused and turned his own eyes skyward. "Hn," he grunted in agreement, flexing each of his fingers.

The priest's violet eyes glinted darkly. "Tonight?" he asked, knowing that Itachi would understand his meaning behind the one-worded question.

The dark-haired man seemed not to hear the light-haired immortal for a moment. But just as Hidan was about to repeat his question, Itachi nodded solemnly.

The Jashinist flashed his white teeth in a grim smile and tightened his grip on his massive three-bladed scythe before turning away and heading back inside the hideout.

Itachi glanced over his shoulder at the retreating back of the priest. He wondered if he was feeling the same sense of impending darkness that had nothing to do with the storm that was making its way to them.

* * *

_I'm trapped in this memory_

_And I'm left in the wake of the mistake_

_Slow to react_

_So even though you're close to me_

_You're still so distant_

_And I can't bring you back_

_-- "With You"_


	22. I'm Sorry! AN

Hi everyone!! I am soooooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in forever!! I was so busy with finals at the beginning of the month and then I had to get all my stuff so I could move back home for the summer and I had to move my horse too...so it's just been crazy/busy!

Then literally, as soon as I got home and got all my stuff unpacked, I started working. I'm working 7 days a week from early morning until like 5 or 6 at night, then I have to go out and see my horse, PLUS I am in a really tight spot with these 2 guys that I like...that's difficult trying to juggle them, AND I just got a third job that's going to have me working from like 6 pm-12 am. So, needless to say...I am UBER busy!!

Oh, and I am having super technical difficulties...my poor little laptop is very ill with a virus (or ten!) And I am _freaking_ out because I'm afraid that I'm gonna lose all my work. I was almost done with the final chapter too! I am soooooo upset.

In any case, I'll do the series of oneshots from Mariko's growing up with Akatsuki that was suggested by Demonic-Dragon-Eyed-Chick with one for each member. I just posted another one, so go check that out and please don't hate me for not updating this story!

I will get my technical kinks worked out ASAP and be back before you know it! (Hopefully!)

Thanks for understanding!!

-Keita


	23. Afterlife

**Hi everyone!! Despite rumors that you may have heard, I am not dead, although I've been pretty close! Hopefully, you've all read my note and understand my reasons for being absent for so long. Words cannot express how sorry I am for all of that!! I still have yet to get my laptop fixed, but I managed to salvage my "stories" folder and am using my brother's computer for the time being. **

**So this is the final chapter (but there will be a short epilogue after this)! I can't believe it! It's been awhile since I've finished a work and I'm very proud of myself for doing so! I am doing a sequel and there will be more notes on that in the epilogue, which I will work on and get up here asap! **

**This is by far the longest chapter in the entire story and it took a long time to finish. I hope you all like it!! Please R&R for me! Thanks again to everyone for being so patient and supportive!! I appreciate it so much :) **

**Ok, I'll wrap it up, since you're probably all just wanting to get to the chapter! **

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track: "Afterlife" by Avenged Sevenfold; End Credits: "Lullaby" by The Spill Canvas; Others: "Gunslinger" by Avenged Sevenfold, "Your Guardian Angel" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams, "Hemorrhage" by Fuel, "Remember Me" by Josh Groban, "Breathe" by Nickleback, "World Falls Away" by Seether**

_**Afterlife**_

_Gave me your hand but realize I just wanna say goodbye_

_Please understand I have to leave and carry on my own life_

_I don't belong here, I gotta move on dear, escape from this afterlife_

_Cause this time I'm right to move on and on, far away from here_

_Got nothing against you and surely I'll miss you_

_This place full of peace and light, and I'd hope you might_

_Take me back inside when the time is right_

_--"Afterlife"_

* * *

"Remember, try to persuade her to come to me willingly before you resort to force; I don't want her harmed or killed, she'll be of little use to me then. And don't underestimate her; she's quite strong herself. Still, the three of you should be able to handle her if it should come to that, just keep your guard up. Now go; you need to get there before Itachi and the Akatsuki show up."

The three ninja nodded once and were off in blurs of purple, silver and black.

From his throne-like seat, Orochimaru smiled sinisterly as a low chuckle rose in his throat. A man with long, grey hair and glasses approached the snake Sannin.

"Lord Orochimaru, are you sure that you want to risk sending a team back to Konoha for this girl?" he asked, his voice genuinely concerned.

Orochimaru turned his yellow eyes on the medic-nin. "Kabuto, you saw the girl, did you not?" The other man nodded. "And don't you agree that, as a possessor of both the Byakugan and Sharingan bloodline, she would be an invaluable asset to our village?"

"Of course she would. But my Lord, Konoha will protect her if she refuses to come to you. Can we afford the losses that another battle with them will undoubtedly yield?" Kabuto understood Orochimaru's desire to bring the Uchiha girl under his control, but he also wanted his Lord to realize the threat that the Leaf Village could present if their ninja were discovered within the village walls.

Orochimaru frowned slightly. "I chose the three that I did especially for their…stealthy extraction abilities, let's call them. They understand that they are to get in, get the girl and get out as quickly and quietly as possible. If Konoha should be alerted to their presence, then they know what to do. Don't fret yourself over it, Kabuto."

The grey-haired medic wanted to argue the point further, but he knew that it was useless; besides, the "extraction" team had already left. He nodded in defeat. "You know best, my Lord," he said submissively before leaving to administer Kimimaro's medications.

Orochimaru watched his subordinate go. Kabuto had proven his loyalty and worth over and over through the years, but sometimes, the snake Sannin thought that he was too smart for his own good; constantly overanalyzing situations and sometimes questioning his decisions. The only reason that Orochimaru hadn't killed him yet was that Kabuto always submitted to his final say and his medical skills were nearly unrivaled.

With a final sigh of annoyance, he turned his mind from the medic to the new object of his desires: Uchiha Mariko. The reptilian grin returned to his face as he envisioned her as a ninja of Otogakure, and the power that she would bring them with her magnificent, unique eyes.

* * *

Mariko ran her hand over the black scabbard, feeling the familiar chips and scratches in the wood from decades of use. She wrapped her right hand around the grip on the handle and it immediately seemed to mold right into her palm, as if it knew it belonged there.

"Why did you bring this to me?" she asked the silver-haired ANBU standing near her.

Kakashi shrugged and said nonchalantly, "You'll need it to defend yourself or your family when the time comes; besides, it belongs to you."

Mariko drew the blade slowly; she ran a finger over the kanji of her father's name, engraved near the hilt. Beneath it was her own name; Sasori had helped her etch it into the steel long ago.

"Thank you," she said softly, resheathing the blade and holding it close against her.

* * *

She slipped back into the house through Sayuri's window, her sword now strapped to her side; her siblings were already in bed and sound asleep. She didn't know whether or not her mother and Naruto were asleep.

The soft moonlight illuminated the room. Mariko looked on the slumbering form of her little sister and a small, sad smile worked its way onto her face. She really would miss them all. She reached out and lightly fingered a strand of Sayuri's long, dark hair - so similar to her own.

Mariko wasn't sure if she would have time to say goodbye to her sister later on, so she gently pressed her lips to the little girl's forehead. "Bye," she whispered.

She then straightened up and silently made her way down the hallway to her brothers' room. She watched them sleeping for a moment before walking to the space in between their beds and leaning down to kiss first Hachi, then Jiro in the same manner as she had with Sayuri.

Jiro shifted in his sleep and his light azure eyes cracked open hazily. "M'riko? Whas wrong?" he asked groggily.

"Nothing, Jiro, everything's fine; go back to sleep," Mariko whispered to her baby brother, who was asleep again before she could even issue the gentle command.

Next, she went into the bathroom. She turned the faucet on and splashed some cold water over her face to wake herself up a little; she had been in a sort of foggy haze since that morning. She knew she would need to be sharp and alert for whatever was coming that night and she couldn't afford to sleep.

Taking care not to wake her siblings, Mariko tiptoed downstairs. The lights were off, but she had no trouble seeing in the dark, especially with the aid of the moonlight filtering through the windows. Her mother and stepfather were nowhere in sight.

She went to the kitchen and set some water for tea to boil. She pulled a chair away from the table to sit while she waited. The creak of a floorboard behind her caused Mariko to whip around in her seat, her hand instinctively going for her sword; but she immediately relaxed upon seeing the recognizable figure of her stepfather moving into the kitchen.

"It's late," he said, "What are you doing up?"

"What are you doing up?" Mariko retorted with a small, tired grin on her face.

Naruto smiled and shrugged. "Couldn't sleep," he replied simply, rifting through a cabinet above the stove. "What kind of tea do you want?"

"Green works," Mariko said, "I couldn't sleep either."

Naruto took the tin of green tea leaves from the cabinet and got two mugs from the load of clean dishes in the dishwasher, then scooped some tea leaves into each cup.

By this time, the water in the kettle was boiling and the blond ninja poured it generously over the tea leaves in the cups; he walked over to the table and handed one cup to Mariko before sitting down himself with the other cup in front of him.

He blew on his drink a few times before tentatively taking a sip; Mariko just stared at the wisps of steam that were rising from her own mug, waiting for it to cool on its own before attempting to drink it.

"So," Naruto said, leaning back comfortably in his chair, "Sasuke told me about the talk the two of you had yesterday."

Mariko sighed. "It's nothing personal," she muttered, "I just have to go; I can't stay here."

"I know," Naruto said, "I understand."

This caused the silver-eyed girl to look at her stepfather in confusion. "You do?"

Naruto nodded his blond head. "Yeah, you Uchiha are all alike; you never can stay in one place for too long. I don't understand _why_ it's that way, but I understand that that's how it is with you."

Mariko hadn't expected him to be so accepting of her intended departure. She sat in silence for a minute.

Finally, she said, "I'm sorry if it hurts you; like I said, it's nothing personal. I really, really like you and the rest of the family."

Naruto just smiled at her. "Hey, there's nothing to be sorry about. We had a great time together and I'm really glad that I got to know you; your brothers and sister and your mother are glad that they got a chance to know you too."

"Maybe, if things were different, I wouldn't have to go."

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, if things were different, we might not even be here right now. I wouldn't change anything. You do whatever it is that you've gotta do. But Mariko," his face became serious as he looked into her pale silver eyes with his piercing blue ones, "Just know that no matter what, you will always have a home here with a family who loves and cares about you."

Mariko's lips turned up in a heartrending smile and she actually had to fight the tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much for everything; you've done so much for me when you had every reason to hate me for who I am."

It was Naruto's turn to smile sadly. "Your parents are not who you are, Mariko; you're your own person and it's what you do that makes you who you are. Trust me; I know a lot about being judged for reasons that are beyond your control." Memories of his childhood and the horrible things people said to him and about him came rushing back. He almost couldn't believe that he was now one of Konoha's most respected shinobi.

The two of them were quiet for a little while; each one sipped their tea as their thoughts raced, dwelling on everything from parents, childhoods, family and their lives in general.

Finally, Naruto finished up his tea and said, "You should go try to get some sleep."

Mariko shook her head. "I can't; I'm waiting."

"For what?"

She shrugged. "Whatever's coming."

* * *

They streaked through the trees, black and silver, _Mariko's colors_, Itachi thought.

Hidan hadn't bothered with his black war paint this time, only his scythe and his Akatsuki cloak. The immortal priest looked forward determinedly, his full concentration on their self-appointed mission. They would not fail this time; they would find Mariko, bring her home, and then he would tell her that he loved her and that he was sorry for being such an ass throughout their twisted relationship and promise to do better. Then, he was going to make mind-blowing love to her all night, thereby securing her forgiveness.

Even if she didn't forgive him and told him that whatever they had was over, he would just be glad to have her back in the house. Like the other Akatsuki members, he found the place oddly empty without her and he missed her smiles and her angry outbursts at the television and her blasting music and her cooking. He found it oddly amusing that he had grown to love everything about the young woman that the little silver-eyed baby that Itachi brought home all those years ago had grown into.

Itachi knew that they would not be returning to Akatsuki without his daughter this time. Even if Hinata refused to give her up like she had the last time, he would take her. She was his and she belonged with him.

He wouldn't feel sorry for Hinata when she pleaded with him to leave his daughter in Konoha to be used as a tool; in his mind, she had given up her rights as Mariko's mother seventeen years ago when she gave their daughter to him…he wouldn't leave her and wait for that snake Orochimaru to take her; Kami only knew what _he_ would try to do with her…he didn't care if ANBU got him, imprisoned him, executed him…that's why he had Hidan…the immortal would protect her and take her home if anything happened to him.

In fact, he couldn't help the strange feeling as the two of them flew through the darkened woods that two were going to Konoha, and two would return…only two, and one would most definitely be Mariko.

* * *

The three Oto ninja finally came to a halt in the high branches of the trees just outside of Konoha's gates.

One, a tall man with tall, wildly-spiked golden hair, dark eyes and an evil smirk asked his companions, "Right, do either of you know where we find this girl?"

The female in the group, a girl with short, red hair that stood on top of her head in spiky pigtails, replied, "Lord Orochimaru said that the oldest Hyuuga woman is her mother and that we should check her home first."

"If she's a Hyuuga, wouldn't she be in the mansion?" reasoned the third member of the group, a man with chin-length black hair and gray eyes.

The girl shook her head, "She's married to someone outside of the clan; she doesn't live in the compound anymore."

The gold-haired one said, "Alright then, Ongaku, you go to the Hyuuga compound and check it out. If, for any reason they suspect that we're coming, they may have moved the girl there to increase the security around her," the black-haired nin nodded and slipped away in the shadows noiselessly. The man turned to the kunoichi, "Kayou, you and I will start searching for the Hyuuga woman's house in the village."

"How will we know if we find it, Hibiki?"

"We'll know because the girl will be there; you do remember what she looks like, right?" Hibiki's dark eyes flashed.

Kayou nodded and she slipped off towards the north side of the village while Hibiki ran towards the south end.

* * *

Mariko gasped and sat up straight, her hand going to her sword hilt. She had dozed off on the table top, but something had jolted her out of her sleep. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and got up from her chair, moving silently to the door and opening it, peeking out into the pitch black night.

A light mist had filtered in from the forest and filled the empty streets, giving it an eerie look.

Mariko walked outside, taking care to shut the door behind her. She walked along silently, until she reached a clearing with a large, black memorial stone. She stopped and her eyes bled from silver to scarlet.

She listened; the only noise that was apparent was the music made by crickets and other nocturnal animals in the forest. Suddenly, she whipped around, drawing her sword as she did, and sliced down on a kunai that was aimed for her head.

She heard a low, sadistic laugh coming from the bushes nearby. "Well, you are rather good, I must admit. Not too many live through what you just did."

A man seemed to materialize out of the blackness. He had a wicked smirk on his face and he wore a headband that had a music note engraved on it. Mariko glared at him.

"Who the fuck are you?" she growled.

He chuckled. "My name's Hibiki and I've been sent to make you a very tempting offer…one that's not likely to come around again."

Mariko lifted her sword tip from the ground, the moonlight glinting off the vicious blade as she moved it. "I'm listening," she said coldly.

"I'm from Otogakure, and Lord Orochimaru has sent me to find you and offer you a prestigious place in our village as a kunoichi. You would rank higher than other shinobi though; your eye abilities would make you much too powerful to be sent out on meager missions like the rest of us…no, _you_ would be among the elite ranking. It's something like our own special version of ANBU."

Mariko narrowed her crimson eyes at the man as she replied, "Thanks, but I don't think I'm really interested in your little club. You can tell your boss that he put his offer on the table too late; I've already made up my mind as to where I'm going."

Hibiki showed his teeth in one of his menacing smiles. "Well I highly suggest you rethink your decision, little girl; you see, our master specifically told us not to come back without you…he doesn't like to be disappointed. Plus, it wouldn't bode well for the three of us if we were to return without you."

"Three?" Mariko's eyes darted around as she switched from Sharingan to Byakugan, scanning the area. Sure enough, two more figures were making their way towards the clearing where she and Hibiki were standing.

A woman with fiery hair and a man with lank black hair joined her golden-haired aggressor, flanking either side of him. Mariko could see their chakra flowing through their bodies and saw that even though the golden-haired one seemed to be the leader, it was actually the dark man who had the most powerful chakra…and it seemed to give off the most dangerous aura of the three as well. She knew that she would have to keep a close watch on that one.

The golden-haired leader smirked again. "We're asking you very nicely to come with us. I promise you that you won't be disappointed once we get to Otogakure; you'll be given even more power and with the Sharingan and the Byakugan, you'll be the most powerful kunoichi in the world. All you need to do is come with us."

Mariko's black-flecked Byakugan eyes flitted back and forth between the three Oto ninja, sizing them up. She gave them a grim smile as she twirled her sword lightly, the blade flashing in the moonlight.

"I already told you, I'm not interested," she sneered, "I've got a much better gig waiting for me."

The red-haired kunoichi pulled some strange thing that Mariko could only guess was a weapon from the holster on her thigh; it looked like a miniature harp of some kind, but Mariko didn't like the look of the strings that ran through it…they looked sharp.

The kunoichi began to strum out a strange tune on the harp and Mariko jumped out of the way as a shower of senbon needles embedded themselves in the ground where she had just been standing.

She glared at the red-haired girl, who wore a disappointed frown on her face.

"Kayou, don't forget, we're not supposed to kill her," Hibiki said to the kunoichi in a tone that was similar to a parent teaching a child how to do something.

"It wasn't lethal poison, just a paralyzer," the girl said nonchalantly.

"I don't like being rendered unable to move; I hope you know that I'm for sure not going anywhere with you now," Mariko said smartly.

Hibiki smiled evilly and pulled back the left arm sleeve of his shirt, revealing an odd contraption that was strapped to his arm from his wrist to his elbow. It was the color of tarnished gold and had little holes in it that looked as if they could have been put there by bullets, except that the bullets would have had to been fired from the inside of the thing, since the metal was sticking out of the sleeve like hollow spikes. There were three little keys on the thing that reminded Mariko of piano keys, except much, much smaller.

The golden-blond Oto nin said, "Well girl, you're leaving us little choice but to bring you in the hard way; we'll be careful, but not gentle." That being said, he extended his arm and pressed the first of the three keys on his arm device. It lit up yellow and a high-pitched wave of sound suddenly hit Mariko, causing her to bring her hands up to her ears, trying to block the noise.

Hibiki's smirk was sinister as he chuckled, "You don't like that, do you? My little device here is very efficient in producing sounds that are highly irritating to the ear and cause my opponents to become so preoccupied with trying to block out the sound that they can't fight me effectively."

"So, basically, you cheat," Mariko said flatly, while tentatively lifting her hands from her ears.

Hibiki shook his head. "It's not cheating, it's an advantage."

"Cheater," Mariko muttered.

She was about to ready herself for the next attack when out of nowhere, a giant, black form was flying at her, snarling. She lifted her sword to block it, and there was a resounding clash as the metal of her sword connected with something else that was equally as hard.

She saw long claws and white fangs and burning dark eyes framed by limp black hair; it was the third Oto nin, the dangerous one. Mariko didn't know how she hadn't noticed him sneaking up on her. He was attacking with some jutsu that was similar to the beast imitation one that Mariko had seen the Inuzukas use. But this man was doing more than just running on all fours and using his claws; he was actually foaming at the mouth and snapping at her with his jaws like a rabid wolf.

Mariko held her sword up to block the wolf-man's attacks, and in doing so, she failed to see that Kayou and Hibiki were getting ready to attack her themselves: Kayou was unstringing the razor wire from her harp and Hibiki was sticking poisoned senbon needles in some of the spikes on his arm device.

Ongaku was pressing on Mariko so forcefully that she had to take some steps backwards to keep from being knocked down by him. Kayou ran forward and threw one end of her harp strings, aiming right for Mariko's neck.

Her Byakugan caught the razor wires flying at her, but Mariko couldn't move, for she was gripping her sword to keep Ongaku from crushing her and there was no way she was going to let go of her sword. Her mind began to race, thinking of possible ways to escape from this dire situation, but she couldn't come up with anything fast enough.

All of a sudden, there was a strange snapping sound and Mariko saw her uncle's figure cutting through the extended razor wire with his ANBU sword. He skidded to a stop and glared at the two Oto ninja with blazing red Sharingan eyes.

By this time, Mariko had grown too weak to keep up her struggle against Ongaku and her knees gave out, sending her into the ground, with the snarling, snapping, dark man above her. She still held her sword between them, keeping him far enough so that he couldn't bite her.

Hibiki wasted no time in pressing the middle key on his arm device, which lit up orange, and fired the senbon needles with a forceful blast of sound that was even more intense than the first.

Sasuke grimaced, but managed to leap out of the way of the speeding senbon before they struck him.

"Cute trick," he smirked, "Now why don't you try something that will actually prove that you made an effort before being taken down by Konoha?"

Kayou looked absolutely furious that her harp had been broken, and Hibiki looked surprised that Sasuke had managed to dodge his high-speed senbon attack.

Just then, more ANBU appeared, including Neji, Kakashi and Naruto.

Naruto and Neji wasted no time in running straight at Ongaku, hitting him from the side and sending him sprawling on the ground, freeing the girl beneath him.

Mariko sat up and quickly got to her feet, keeping her sword held up and ready. The animalistic ninja turned on his new attackers and lunged at Naruto, his fangs dripping with anticipation and his grey eyes clouded with bloodlust.

Naruto was quicker though, and wasted no time in putting two kunai in each of Ongaku's shoulders and delivering a powerful punch to his abdomen. The dark man flew back once more, but didn't move for a few minutes after he had hit the ground.

Sasuke was still keeping his eyes on Hibiki and Kayou, who both knew that they were outskilled and outnumbered.

"Listen," Hibiki said in a fake friendly tone, "We don't have any issues with you; we just came for the girl, who, if I'm not mistaken, isn't even a citizen of your village. That means that you have no claim on her and no obligation to protect her."

Sasuke's scarlet eyes flashed. "She's our family. His cousin," he pointed to Neji, "His stepdaughter," he pointed to Naruto, "And my niece. We are all absolutely obligated to protect her."

"How sweet," Kayou sneered as she began to re-string her harp with the now significantly shorter razor wire.

All four ANBU members were now standing facing the red-haired kunoichi and the golden-headed ninja, looking immensely intimidating; Mariko stood slightly behind them, not out of fear, but she was feeling fatigued from having no sleep and from the drain of the phoenix necklace on her chakra.

She was just hoping that the Konoha nin would make quick work of disposing of the Oto nin and hopefully, they would be gone by the time her father showed up for her. She didn't have any sort of physical evidence that he was coming that night, but she did have a strong intuitive feeling, and that was enough to convince her.

She was too busy focusing on the interaction between the four ANBU and the two Oto nin, and she didn't notice that Ongaku had picked himself up lightly from the ground and was stealthily making his way over to her on all fours. The kunai that Naruto had hit him with were still sticking out of his shoulders and blood dripped from his chin.

He waited until he was very close, his dark gray eyes flashing menacingly, and then he lunged at her with a snarl.

Mariko's reaction was quick, even without the aid of her eye abilities; she turned and slashed her sword down in one swift movement and the next thing they knew, Ongaku's fanged jaw was soaring through the air and landed a good distance from where his body – run through by Mariko's sword – lay.

Mariko let out a breath that she hadn't realized that she'd been holding as she yanked her blade from the animal ninja's body. The two other Sound ninja were gaping at the Uchiha girl, their eyes now wide with something akin to fear. They began to very slowly back away, but before they could get very far, nearly a dozen more ANBU and the Hokage herself appeared.

"We heard some fighting," the blonde woman explained, "What's going on?"

"Lady Hokage, these ninja from Otogakure snuck into our village and attempted to kidnap Uchiha Mariko," Sasuke said. "We were just dealing with them."

"I see; there were only two of them?"

"Mariko took care of the third; he won't be a problem any longer," Neji said darkly, nodding in the direction of Ongaku's lifeless body.

Tsunade took in the sight of the mangled corpse and the dark-haired girl holding her dripping sword and nodded in understanding. "You and you," she pointed out two of the ANBU who had arrived with her, "Escort these two to the prison for interrogation with Ibiki."

The select two nodded and moved forward to the man and woman before them. They took their weapons and bound their hands with chakra-draining devices before leading them away towards the village prison.

Once that was done, Tsunade turned back to face Mariko. "Now, about you…"

* * *

Itachi and Hidan had heard the fight and had quickened their paces as much as they could. They knew better than to go bursting in, announcing their presence, so instead they stopped just beyond the treeline of the clearing and waited.

The Uchiha scanned the group of people standing around; it didn't take him long to see that there was an array of ANBU – his brother among them – the Hokage, the three Oto nin and Mariko. It took all the self control he possessed to keep from snatching her right then.

Hidan – who had never had nearly the amount of control that Itachi had - was about to actually step out of the woods and grab Mariko; upon finally seeing her, he wanted nothing more than to hold her close so he could feel her against him.

"Don't move," Itachi said in a whisper that was monotonous but held a dangerous warning in it just the same, rooting Hidan to the spot.

They could see that the Hokage was speaking to the silver-eyed girl, who didn't look happy; in fact, she looked like she was considering slashing the older woman with her sword and running off. Itachi knew that she wasn't dumb enough to do that, considering that there was a whole ANBU squad around her, but he caught the slight tremble of his daughter's hands as she narrowed her silver eyes defiantly.

* * *

"What do you mean I can't leave? I thought I made myself perfectly clear," Mariko said, trying hard to keep the mounting anger from spilling over into her voice.

"I'm sorry, but I can't just let you return to Akatsuki," Tsunade said, "They're criminals and enemies of this village; I would be neglecting my responsibilities to the people here if I were to let you return to them."

"So what options are you offering then?" Sasuke asked for his niece, since she was now biting her lip hard to keep from exploding on the blonde woman.

"She can either become a permanent member of the village, and after a period of time, she'll have the same rights and privileges as any other citizen of Konoha; or, she can stay here as a prisoner," Tsunade answered.

* * *

"Fucking bitch," Hidan cursed the lady Hokage under his breath. "Can't she just push past the old hag?"

Itachi shook his head. "Mariko's strong, but she's not strong enough to take on one of the Sannin; plus, something's not right with her…her chakra level is abnormally low."

"So then what should we do? That bitch isn't going to let her go."

"One of us will have to go and get her," Itachi replied calmly. "I'll do it."

Hidan quirked one silver eyebrow as he turned his violet eyes on the Uchiha. "Are you fucking serious? I'll go and get her, and I'll hack off a few heads while I do."

But Itachi shook his head, never taking his eyes from his furious daughter. "It's not that simple; we're outnumbered and Mariko is too weak to fight very hard. I'll go and offer to trade my freedom for hers, and then you'll take her home."

Hidan stared at his dark companion for a few silent moments before snorting with quiet laughter. Itachi turned his crimson eyes on the priest. "What?" he asked with annoyance.

"If there's going to be any trading, then I should definitely be the one to go," the Jashinist said, "I'm the fucking immortal, remember? If you give yourself up to them, you'll be dead by dawn. But if _I_ go, I'm sure to last much longer, since, you know, I kind of can't die."

"She's going to need you," Itachi said.

"She's gonna need you a lot more," Hidan retorted. "And she's gonna need you to be fucking _alive_. I'm sure that she can stand being without me for awhile."

Itachi was about to make another argument for why it was more logical and practical for him to sacrifice himself for his daughter, but Hidan interrupted before he could even begin.

"Look, I'm fucking going, alright? So just drop it," And with that, he straightened up and stepped out of the trees and into the clearing.

* * *

Mariko was brainstorming possible ways to get away when the flash of silver caught her eye. She turned and her mouth dropped open while her breath caught in her throat.

"H-Hidan," she whispered.

Sasuke, Naruto, Neji and the others turned in the direction that the girl was looking to see what had distracted her; immediately, they were all on guard as the strongly-built man in an Akatsuki cloak and carrying a huge, three-bladed scythe walked towards them.

Hidan held up his hands – one still clutching the scythe – and a light grin spread across his face. "Whoa, whoa, easy there. No need to worry, I'm not going to fucking chop any heads tonight."

"What do you want then?" Tsunade asked coldly.

The priest's violet eyes fell on the form of his lover, who was looking at him with a mix of shock, disbelief, happiness and desperation; she took a step towards him, but was instantly grabbed and restrained by one of the ANBU.

"I came for her," Hidan said, nodding in Mariko's direction.

Tsunade placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you," she said, not sounding sorry at all, "But she's not allowed to return to Akatsuki with you."

"Oh, she won't be. I'm willing to trade myself for her; you let her go free, and you get me as your prisoner instead," he said in a voice that was nonchalant, but had a grimmer undertone.

Kakashi's eyes scanned the silver-haired man's figure skeptically. He looked over at the girl, whose pale eyes were now filled with tears as she fought weakly against her restrainer to get to the newcomer. He knew the look in her eyes, for he had seen it many times before in Sakura's eyes when she looked at Sasuke; it was the look of love.

"Let her go," he said quietly.

Everyone turned to stare at him, except Mariko, whose eyes were still on Hidan.

"What?" Tsunade asked. "Since when do you give out orders Kakashi?"

"Look," he said in a more hushed tone, moving closer to the blonde woman's side, "Hidan has been a member of Akatsuki for a much longer time and has done far more damage to our village than Mariko has. That makes him an even bigger threat to us than her; if you can't let her go because of the offences she hasn't committed and may never commit, how can you refuse his offer and let him go when you can almost for sure count on him to come back and cause more destruction and deaths?"

Tsunade knew that Kakashi was right and that she had almost no choice now. It was true that Mariko's offences against Konoha were minimal when compared to all of the destruction that Hidan had caused over the years.

She sighed and looked again at the expectant face of the immortal priest, then to the sorrowful face of the silver-eyed girl. "Alright," she said, turning her amber eyes to meet Hidan's violet ones once again, "I accept your offer."

Hidan smirked grimly and nodded. "Good, now let her go."

The ANBU who was holding Mariko looked up for instruction and it was Kakashi who said, "Well, go on, let her go."

The second she was released, Mariko half-ran, half-tripped over to Hidan and threw herself in his arms, hugging him tightly to her as the tears began to leak out of her eyes.

He buried his face in her jet hair, inhaling deeply and taking in her minty scent before she turned her face up to his and he caught her lips in a deep kiss.

She cupped his face in her hands and he tightened his arm around her waist while the other slid up her neck to gently caress the back of her head. For a little while, it seemed as though there was nothing else in the world but the two of them, holding each other and kissing each other passionately.

When they finally broke their kiss, Mariko pressed her forehead to his and whispered in a desperate voice, "Let's go now, let's just leave; please don't go with them, don't…I need you to be with me, please, please, don't."

"Shhh," he quieted her softly as he gently ran a hand over her sleek black hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Your father's waiting for you just beyond those trees to take you home. And don't worry about me; they can't kill me, remember? So I'll be waiting here until either they let me go or you decide that you miss me enough to come and get me." He grinned at her.

"It's not funny," she whispered brokenheartedly. "I can't leave you here."

Hidan became more serious at that. "You can and you're going to. It might hurt for a little while, but you're strong and you'll get through it."

Mariko shook her head. Hidan caught her chin and tilted her face up to his, pressing his mouth against hers once again. She kissed him hungrily and desperately, as if making one last plea to him to stay with her. But when she broke the kiss and her silver eyes met his violet ones, she saw that he wasn't changing his mind and she started to break down.

Hidan pulled her against him and whispered in her ear, "Not here; you keep it together long enough to get to your father, then you can cry. Understand?"

She nodded, rubbing her face against his shoulder as she clung to him tightly. With great delicacy, he extracted himself from her; she stood in front of him, shaking, as he removed his Akatsuki cloak – her mind never registered that he was actually wearing a shirt underneath it for once – and his ring, handing them to her, along with his scythe.

The girl took the items from him and he saw that she had to fight hard not to lose control of her emotions. He took her face between his hands and pressed one last, long kiss on her lips.

"Now go on," he urged gently, giving her a light push in the direction of the woods. Suddenly, he grabbed her arm. "Wait."

She turned back to him, hoping that he had changed his mind; but he reached out and took a hold of the phoenix necklace dangling from her neck and gave one quick yank, breaking the chain. Immediately, Mariko felt a little stronger. She looked at him with hopeful eyes, still thinking that he might come with her.

"There you go; that's better," he said. "Now you can go."

She took a few hesitant steps forward, looking back at him and taking shallow breaths. He nodded and she finally ripped her eyes from him and walked determinedly into the trees, disappearing from his sight into the darkness.

Once she was gone, he turned back to the group that now had their eyes on him. The ANBU came tentatively towards him, hesitated, then seized him roughly. Hidan looked at the Hokage with a dark grin on his face as she approached him.

"We know all about you being immortal, but that doesn't mean that we can't incapacitate you," she said, then she said to the ANBU, "Take off his head."

* * *

Mariko managed to stumble her way into the trees, but her eyes were too fogged with tears to make out any distinct figures, so she just stood there like a lost child and held the items that Hidan had entrusted her with close against her.

Itachi caught sight of her and immediately went over to her, catching her as she sank down onto her knees.

"Dad," she whispered, "Th-they have Hidan. W-we have to get him back."

She turned back to look at the group in the clearing and her eyes widened in fear, while her breathing quickened. Itachi followed his daughter's gaze to the clearing and saw what had caused her to get such a frightened expression on her face; Hidan was on his knees while two ANBU held each of his arms out to the sides and a third unsheathed his sword and raised it above his head and brought the blade down on the priest's neck, slicing his head clean off of his shoulders.

Mariko sucked in a deep breath and held it, preparing herself to scream; Itachi grabbed her and pulled her against him, shushing her.

"Shh, shh, baby it's okay, don't scream, don't make a sound," he soothed her in a voice that was slightly frantic.

She clutched a fistful of his cloak in her left hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white, while clamping the other hand tightly over her mouth, not trusting herself to keep quiet otherwise. A tear leaked from the corner of her eye and Itachi could feel her chest rising and falling irregularly with her sobbing breaths.

"He'll be fine, Mariko. Hidan will be fine; they can't kill him, remember? He's going to be alright, baby," he said to her softly, rubbing her back and kissing her head to try and calm her, but he could feel her shaking. "We have to go now, okay? Can you stand up for me?" he asked, rising slowly and pulling her up with him.

He loosened his hold on her just to see if she could stand on her own; she did, but she still clung to him. He put one arm around her waist to support her and began to walk with her away from the clearing and into the darkened woods.

* * *

He had sensed his presence the entire time, but he had kept quiet for her sake. But Sasuke couldn't ignore the fact that his brother was so close, lurking in the shadows of the forest just beyond the others' sight. But his brother couldn't hide from him. Now, the raven-haired ANBU captain swiftly ran through the trees, honing in on his brother's chakra signature.

Itachi smirked to himself. "Little brother," he murmured softly, "I knew that you wouldn't let me go so easily."

He stopped walking – thereby stopping Mariko as well – and turned around; Sasuke was there, and Itachi had to admit that, in his full ANBU uniform, his little brother finally looked grown up. The two brothers stared at each other emotionlessly for a few long moments before the silence was finally broken by Sasuke.

"You know," he said, "There was a time long ago when I thought that I understood you and everything that you did. But I was young and naïve and back then, I held you in such high regard; I knew that there was a reason for everything that you did. I knew that there was some great importance behind every single action that you committed.

"But then you killed everyone – you killed our parents – and that was when I realized that I really didn't know you at all. I had no idea why you did what you did. You gave me your reason back then, but I didn't believe it and I still don't.

"So now, I'm asking you, _begging_ you, to tell me the real reason that you murdered our clan…our _family_."

Itachi looked at his little brother and suddenly saw him as a small, five-year-old boy, following his older brother everywhere and trying his hardest to copy everything that he did; he saw Sasuke as a determined eight-year-old, working so hard for his and their father's attention and approval; then he saw the confused, hurt and tormented ten-year-old who he had left behind that night.

It had broken his heart to do what he had done, but he knew that it was for the best of everyone in the village that he so loved. He had done what he had been told up to a point…he hadn't taken his brother's life. His beloved little brother, who was so innocent and determined back then; he had allowed Sasuke to live, knowing that no matter how strong he became, he would never be able to kill his brother.

He looked at Sasuke's face; it showed that he was tired and worn, but his expression was one of pleading desperation. For so long, Sasuke had only thought of his older brother as a cold, heartless murderer who was on a personal mission to make his life a living hell. That wasn't how he wanted to think of him any longer.

Meeting Mariko and seeing how different she was from how he thought of Itachi had caused him to reconsider his feelings toward his brother. Surely if Itachi was really the stone cold killer that Sasuke was convinced he was, he wouldn't have taken and cared for a child, even if she was his, and the girl wouldn't have turned out as well as she had; it was obvious that she had been very loved while growing up.

Itachi sighed as he shifted Mariko slightly. "Sasuke," he said, "You were right in assuming that the majority of my actions had greater purposes behind them. There was a reason other than the one that I gave you for what I did that night. However, I couldn't tell you then; you were still so young and innocent, I felt that it was just better for you to hate me than tell you the truth. But I still can't tell you the real reason behind my actions, even though I want to."

"Why not?!" Sasuke demanded, "Do you really hate me so much Itachi, that you're going to make me continue living without knowing the reason why you killed our clan?"

Itachi chuckled softly and darkly to himself. "I've never hated you Sasuke; on the contrary, it was because I cared so much about you that I chose to keep the truth from you. That's why I can't tell you; I never will."

"Itachi, please…"

But the elder Uchiha shook his head solemnly. "I'm sorry for what this has done to you, and I'm so sorry that it torments you like this; it's not what I wanted for you. But I'm not sorry for what I did, and I would do it again without hesitation."

Sasuke turned his eyes to the ground in defeat, sighing heavily.

"Sasuke, go home to your family," Itachi urged softly, "Go spend time with your boys, tell your wife how much she really means to you and forget about me and our past. What's done is done, little brother, and no one can undo it; no amount of hatred and no amount of knowledge will bring our clan back, so stop letting it consume you. Just go knowing that your brother loves you and that he will never let any harm come to you."

The younger Uchiha looked up at the elder and saw the sincerity in his face. He felt a lump rise in his throat and he had to blink hard to keep tears from falling. All he could do was nod.

"Take care, little brother," Itachi said, turning once more and walking away steadily while pulling Mariko along beside him.

* * *

Once she had woken and found that Mariko was gone, Hinata had rushed out of her house and activated her Byakugan, scanning in every direction. She could see figures far off in the clearing by the memorial stone – ANBU – and decided to go there first.

Naruto saw his wife running to him, casting a bewildered look at the three captive Oto nin and the headless body of the immortal priest.

"What's going on?" she asked in a breathless whisper.

Naruto replied in an equally quiet voice, "Mariko was facing off with those three alone when we found her," he gestured towards the three Oto nin, "Then one of the Akatsuki showed up."

"Which one?" Hinata asked shakily.

"The immortal priest, Hidan," the blond replied, "He traded his freedom for Mariko's. Apparently they were, _are_, in love."

Hinata sucked in a breath. One thing that she and her daughter had never discussed was relationships outside of family. Mariko had never even hinted at the possibility of being attached.

"So…so what did you do with him?" the white-eyed woman asked, even though she felt that she already knew the answer, based on the headless body on the ground.

"The Hokage ordered us to behead him," Naruto replied.

"_In front of her?!_" Hinata asked, horrified.

"No; she was already gone," he said; obviously he thought that the second she had made it to the trees, Mariko had taken off.

"Where did she go?"

"She went to the woods; heading southwest."

The two shared a fleeting look that relayed understanding and acceptance before Hinata took off in the direction that her husband had pointed her in.

* * *

"Wait!"

Itachi seriously debated on simply continuing on when he heard the soft, desperate plea, but he couldn't. He turned slowly to see Hinata with her white eyes, wide and unblinking, focused on him and Mariko as she gingerly picked her way through the forest.

He didn't move as she came to him and reached out to gently brush a strand of jet hair from her daughter's ghostly pale face.

Mariko still had a blank, distant look on her face and didn't even seem to notice when her mother touched her.

"What are you doing here?" Itachi asked.

"I-I just wanted to see her before she's gone," she said. "She's not allowed to come back here you know; she'll be treated as a member of Akatsuki."

"It's really unfortunate that your village is so mistrustful; she wouldn't harm anyone now," he replied icily.

"I know," Hinata said softly. "But the Hokage is just doing her best to look out for everyone; I really can't blame her for wanting to be overly cautious. This village has a history of attacks coming from unexpected sources."

He didn't miss how she met and held his eyes when she said this.

"I'm not leaving her here," he said firmly. "I can't, knowing what they'll do to her and how they'll treat her."

To his surprise, Hinata nodded understandingly. "No, you're right; she can't stay here now. She was too forward about wanting to get back to you; the Hokage wouldn't trust her like she might have before. She'd be seen as a threat again."

As he looked at Hinata's pale, beautiful face and saw the sadness there, Itachi couldn't help feeling sorry for her; after all, Mariko was her daughter too. The light-eyed woman moved to stand before her dark-haired daughter and somehow managed to wrap her arms around the girl's slender frame and hug her close, stroking her long, jet hair. Itachi just stood; his arm that was supporting Mariko had been wrapped up in Hinata's embrace as well and for a brief moment, he simply basked in the feel of her warmth seeping through his cloak and into his skin, just as it had so many years ago.

Hinata loosened her hold on Mariko and pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning her eyes on Itachi. "Just...promise me that you'll take care of her." She said in a slightly choked up voice.

He could see the tears pooling in her pale eyes; she looked so pure and innocent, just as she had when he had first met her all those years ago. He reached out and used the roughened pad of his thumb to wipe away the tear that made its way out of her big eyes and onto her snowy cheek. "I promise," he whispered.

As he slowly withdrew his hand from her face, she turned slightly and he felt the feather-light brush of her lips against his palm. A grim, fleeting smile crossed his face as he said, "Goodbye Hinata," and turned back in the direction that he had been going prior to being stopped, pulling Mariko along with him.

Hinata had to use all her willpower to keep herself rooted to the spot, otherwise, she would go running off with them. Her tears fell freely and silently now as she watched the forms of her first love and her daughter steadily disappearing into the blackened forest. "Goodbye," she managed to whisper just before the darkness consumed them.

* * *

The two Uchihas finally made it back to the Akatsuki hideout a little before dawn; the sky was lighter and the morning birds were beginning to wake and chirp in the trees. Itachi had tried to just support Mariko through most of the trip and let her walk on her own as much as she could, but it wasn't much, so he had just resorted to picking her up and carrying her the rest of the way. He had counted on the rest of the group to still be asleep, allowing him to just slip in quietly and put Mariko to bed, but when he reached the den, he saw that everyone was sitting up.

They weren't saying anything - even Tobi was uncharacteristically silent - and they all had mugs of tea or coffee in their hands and expressions of worry or anxiousness on their faces. Most of them were just sitting around on the couches and chairs or the floor, but Kisame was pacing impatiently and Deidara was staring out a window with his forehead pressed to the glass. When Itachi appeared with Mariko in his arms, her face pressed into his chest, they all looked up and a kind of relief washed over their features upon seeing the dark-haired girl.

"Is she alright?" Deidara asked, moving forward tentatively.

"She's exhausted and upset, but she'll be fine once she's slept," Itachi replied.

Tobi came up and softly patted Mariko's hair. "I'm glad she's back; I missed her."

"She'll be happy to see you too, Tobi," Itachi said, "But she needs to rest now."

The masked man nodded understandingly and backed away as Itachi turned and started down the hallway to Mariko's bedroom.

"Where's Hidan?"

Kisame's question stopped the Uchiha dead in his tracks. He turned his head a little to answer.

"He stayed...in her place," he replied softly.

No one said anything more and Itachi was able to get Mariko to her room and tucked in under her neon pink sheets without any further interruptions or questions. As soon as she was placed in her bed, Mariko's eyes flitted shut and she fell into a fitful sleep. Her father pulled up the chair from her desk and sat in it, watching her toss and turn in her sleep, wishing that he could do something to quiet her nightmares.

When she began to cry in her sleep, he leaned forward and placed a gentle hand on her head, "Shh, baby, it's okay; it'll all be okay." But she didn't stop, so he began to softly sing to her. He sang the lullabies that he had sung for her when she was a baby and gradually, she settled down. Her breathing became more even and she stopped thrashing about and crying. He could tell by the expression on her face that she was still troubled, but at least she had stilled a little. He kissed her head and continued softly petting her hair and singing lightly.

* * *

It had been two days since the Uchihas' return to Akatsuki; Mariko had slept the entire time and Itachi rarely strayed from her bedside. Mariko awoke on the second day just before sunset; she was a bit dehydrated and she still looked as if she could have slept out the rest of the week, but after accepting a glass of water from her father, she managed to make her way into her bathroom for a shower.

Once she was all cleaned up and had a set of fresh clothes on, Mariko looked a little better; she even went out into the kitchen for a light meal of buttered toast and pineapple juice. She wasn't speaking much to anyone, the traumatizing images of Hidan's head being cut off still freshly burned into her mind.

No one said anything to her - even Tobi; they just gave her sympathetic and concerned looks when she wasn't looking and put on what they hoped were reassuring smiles when she was looking.

She took long walks in the woods that lasted all day; they were much like the ones that her father went on when she had been captured and imprisoned by Konoha... like she was searching. It was a pitiful sight for Itachi to see his daughter spending days looking for Hidan when he knew that she knew that the silver-haired priest wasn't coming back anytime soon. But he didn't have the heart to tell her to discontinue her searches.

It was while she was on one of her forest wanderings that Itachi went out to find her. Mariko was standing on a pile of mossy boulders, looking confused as to which direction to venture off in next. When she saw her father approaching though, she refocused her attention on him, watching him silently until he came close enough for her to speak softly to him.

"What're you doing here?" she asked. It wasn't an accusatory tone, just a simple question.

"I came to find you," he replied, "Leader wants to see you."

"What for?"

"He didn't say; he just told me to find you and bring you to him." Itachi had only agreed to bring Mariko to Leader without being given a specific reason because he was sure that the mysterious Akatsuki leader wouldn't harm his daughter in any way. After all, now that she had mastered not only the Sharingan but also the Byakugan, she was a valuable asset to their organization.

The dark-haired girl sighed and jumped down from the flat boulder surface that she had been standing on and walked over to where her father stood, waiting for her. They made their way back to the hideout silently; she was quiet because she was thinking hard about the next path to take during her futile search for Hidan and he was quiet because he didn't know what to say to her.

When they got back to the hideout, Itachi ushered his daughter to the door of the room that the Akatsuki members met with Leader in. Mariko didn't appear nervous or afraid; the typical, impassive Uchiha expression on her face.

The silver-eyed girl opened the door to the room and closed it behind her, vanishing from her father's sight. The room was dark, as it had been when she had been summoned there the time before the mission to Konoha. She waited, alone in the dark, for Leader to come and speak to her. She didn't have to wait long.

"Uchiha Mariko," Leader's strong and dangerous voice said from the darkness; Mariko turned a little to her left, facing the direction that his voice was coming from. "It's been awhile; how was your little adventure in Konoha?"

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" she asked stoically, in no mood for his sarcastic jibes.

_Just like her father_, Pein thought to himself. "Yes," he replied in answer to the girl's question, "Your father reported to me on what happened when he and Hidan went - against orders, I might add - back to Konoha for you. I never really liked Hidan, but I will admit that he was valuable to the organization."

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but I am completely aware of the events that occurred that night; can you please get to the point?" Mariko was growing impatient and being reminded of the fact that Hidan was gone and that it was her fault was quickly upsetting her.

Pein smirked in the dark. "Alright then," he said, casting his swirling gray eyes over the tense form of the girl. "Since you're the reason that Hidan is gone, you'll take his place. Welcome to Akatsuki."

* * *

_It's your finger and how I'm wrapped around it._

_It's your grace and how it keeps me grounded._

_I know that you're weak,_

_Just let me sing you to sleep_

_--"Lullaby"_


	24. Epilogue: The First of Me

**Oh my gosh...this is it! This is the actual end of this story! I'm kinda sad :'( But like I've said before, there will be a sequel. I'll probably post a summary and maybe a preview of it later on. I still have to finish my other fic, "A Flame in the Desert"; I've left those poor people hanging even longer than everyone who's reading this fic. Oops!**

**My technical difficulties are still not worked out, but I managed to trick everyone else's computer into letting me get my stories, so yay. Hopefully though, I will get my laptop sent out sometime this week and _hopefully_ the guy will be able to get everything off my harddrive saved. I've spent the last 3 years building up my sweet music library and I will be devastated if I lose it all. **

**Thanks so much to everyone who has supported me and this story; it really means a lot to me! I hope you will all come back for the sequel and will take some time to read my other works as I write and post them! Special thanks goes out to HopeoftheForgotten for all of the awesome music suggestions! As you can see, I've used many of them, so thanks! **

**Anyways, enough rambling! On with the epilogue! Please leave me any thoughts, comments, predictions or whatever in review form! It's always appreciated!! **

**-Keita**

**Music: Title Track & End Credits: "The First of Me" by Hoobastank**

**Epilogue**

**_The First of Me_**

_I hear a voice inside_

_It's grown into a scream_

_I'm not the next of them_

_I am the first of me_

_--"The First of Me"_

* * *

_Six Months Later_

* * *

Mariko came to a halt on a slick tree branch; the bark was so saturated that it had turned the tree nearly black. The dark-haired girl took care not to slip as she took a few steps forward to look off in the distance.

A gentle breeze caused the light, silky fabric of her Akatsuki cloak to billow around her like the clouds that were printed on it. Mariko couldn't resist looking down at the ring that rested on her left index finger; it was Hidan's ring, Three. When Leader had told her that she was going to be taking the priest's place in Akatsuki, she had been instructed to wear his ring. At first, she wasn't sure how it was going to fit her, but the problem took care of itself when the ring shrank to fit her significantly skinnier finger.

She wondered where Kakuzu was; she scanned the area, first with her normal, silver eyes, then with crimson Sharingan, and finally her pale Byakugan eyes. Not only had she inherited Hidan's ring, but his partner as well.

Kakuzu hadn't shown any sort of intense aversion to having Mariko as his new partner - after all, she could hold her own in battle and she was strong and a quick thinker - but the girl still couldn't shake the feeling that she was a burden to him. After all, Hidan had been immortal; if one or more of his limbs were severed in a fight, all Kakuzu had to do was sew them back on. However, Mariko was not quite so easy to repair and she knew that Kakuzu was careful with her because she was Itachi's daughter, which had to be frustrating to him since he wasn't used to having to babysit while on missions.

She inspected her blackened fingernails - they had changed color when she had put on the Three ring - and then scanned the perimeter with her Byakugan once again in search of her partner.

She started when her black-flecked eyes revealed to her that he was standing directly behind her; apparently, he had snuck up on her sometime while she had allowed herself to be distracted.

"Don't freak me out like that," she said accusingly.

"You're just lucky that it's me and not some ANBU or bounty hunter," he retorted.

"Speaking of bounty hunters... how did we do on that last capture?" Mariko asked with interest. Since becoming an official member of Akatsuki, Mariko and Kakuzu had mainly been going on their own, money-seeking missions capturing and turning in other criminals for large bounties. The last criminal who they had collected a bounty on was an S-class murderer from the Cloud village; he had tried to grab Mariko's ass at one point, so he had been handed over to the authorities with a very broken face.

"Only seventy-thousand this time," the miser said, not bothering to mask the disappointment in his voice.

"For all the crap that we put up with with that guy, we should have at least gotten a hundred thousand," Mariko grumbled, a pout crossing her face.

Kakuzu's mask moved in a way which indicated the possibility of a smile, but Mariko was never sure exactly what expressions the older man allowed to cross his face.

"Let's keep moving," he said to her, "It's going to be getting dark soon, and your father will be very upset if you're not back before then."

Mariko rolled her silver eyes. "I'm a big girl; he's going to have to learn to deal with me being gone sometimes," she replied.

"Well, I'd rather he didn't take it out on me; now let's go." Kakuzu said, taking off through the trees again.

The Uchiha girl lingered for a moment though, looking off in the direction that she knew Konoha was in. She let a longing sigh escape her lips; the breeze kicked up again, yanking her long, dark hair away from her face.

"Don't worry, Hidan," she whispered, "I haven't forgotten about you."

She turned and pushed off of the tree branch forcefully, running and jumping at a breakneck speed to catch up to her partner as they headed in the direction of the setting sun.

* * *

_So when the waiting's done_

_And it's time to face the truth,_

_You know you're good enough_

_Deep down inside of you_

_You've finally woken up_

_If only just to prove_

_You were born to lead the way_

_And be the first of you_

_--"The First of Me"_


End file.
